Namuko Academy
by gracegrrl007
Summary: Takatsuki Yayoi is an aspiring young wizard. Kisaragi Chihaya is a bitter old Mage. Minase Iori is a temperamental teacher. And Hoshi Miki is a Sparkling Superstar. These four may seem as different as can be, but when witches from an enemy group attack, they will band together to do whatever it takes. They are a school. They are a team. Welcome...to Namuko Academy.
1. Chapter the First

Chapter the First

Six figures sat gathered around a small fire. The oldest of these, a moderately tall brunette wearing thin glasses around her deep brown eyes, stood slowly and glanced around at her companions.

"The light wizard is coming," she stated in an authoritative tone. "She'll train under Miki, won't she?"

"Yup!" The second youngest assembled girl, a happy-looking blonde, jumped to her feet in excitement. "Miki heard she's really cute and really fun and really energetic—"

"What say you, Chihaya?" a silver-haired woman cut in, casting a glance at the most ornately dressed young woman. Miki, the blonde, pouted silently and slowly took her seat.

The fancily-clad bluenette, known as Chihaya the Grand Mage, only stared into the fire in front of her. "…She will train with Miki, the Sun Mage, correct?"

"Correct," Takane agreed, her elegant silver hair gleaming in the light cast from the dancing flames. The fire began to die out, but a quick shot into the woodpile by the Flame Mage Minase Iori brought it back to life. The youngest Mage flashed a small, confident smile.

Chihaya nodded slowly. "We need her," she murmured. "Turiavita grows stronger with every passing day. Those witches will soon overtake NamukoAcademy if we don't stop them. The added light wizard will even things up."

"In terms of numbers, yes," muttered the eldest. "But have you not noticed that our wizards—and even our mages—are far less skilled than their witches and warlocks?"

"Should that matter?!" Iori snapped. "I don't know about you, Stone Mage, but I am not going to allow myself or my students to lose to those…freaks!"

"Iori—"

"They are a disgrace to magic itself!" Iori continued. "Are you saying we, the pure-hearted and strong, cannot take down a few dark copies?!"

"They are far more than a simple 'dark copy'," the Stone Mage countered. "And you know that."

Iori rolled her eyes, but said nothing else.

"It's OK, Deko-chan." Miki grinned. "Miki's new wizard will be amazing and help us take down the bad guys!"

"It's Iori!" Iori protested. "Ritsuko, Chihaya! Make her stop calling me that or I'll burn her to a crisp before that Grand Witch gets a chance!"

"Ooh, Miki's scared!" the Sun Mage taunted. Iori's body began to glow with flames, her teeth bared in a snarl.

A quick blast of wind put Iori's fire out, and a black-haired mage stood up quickly, sneering. "That's enough!" she barked, her eyes scanning over Miki and Iori, the former of which shrunk back in fear and the latter of which glared back at the Wind Mage.

Chihaya nodded at the mage, who nodded back and sat down, indicating Chihaya to speak. "Miki, just focus on training your new wizard. I have heard she's a real prodigy."

"Her soul is so full of light, she practically glows," Ritsuko added. "She'll be a great addition."

"Indeed," Takane breathed. "The light wizard of NamukoAcademy, otherwise known as the Shining Prodigy…"

Chihaya nodded. "Takatsuki Yayoi."

*.*.*.*

A ginger head of air bobbed through the hallways of the most prestigious wizard academy on the planet; NamukoAcademy. This particular young girl had been chosen out of a crowd to practice to become a mage. She had been driven to the academy early that morning to meet her teacher, so that her powers would be able to grow and evolve. She knew nothing other than the fact that she had powers. Naturally, the young girl was hoping to learn.

"I wonder where my teacher is…?" she mumbled to herself. Glancing around, she decided to go to a random room in hopes of finding something.

She spotted a door that had little bits of shadow seeping through the cracks. Curious, the ginger approached it and cracked it open slowly. As soon as the creaking of the old wooden door reached the ears of the room's inhabitant, the darkness that had previously occupied the room vanished, revealing a silver-haired woman sitting in an elegant black chair. Her back was facing the young girl. The ginger slowly walked inside and stopped beside the silver-haired beauty. The woman looked at her and smiled.

"Welcome, Takatsuki Yayoi," she greeted. "I am the Shadow Mage, Shijou Takane. Are you looking for Miki?"

"Miki…-san?" Yayoi repeated slowly. "Is she the Sun Mage I'm supposed to be learning from?"

"Indeed," Takane agreed. "We have waited for you, Yayoi. Miki is quite excited to have a student of her own." She stood from her chair. "Shall I show you around?"

"Ah…y-yes please, Takane-san!" Yayoi explained. Takane smiled. Yayoi grinned back. "Oh…um, I wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

"About that shadowy stuff in the room."

"That?" Takane paused. "I apologize, did I scare you? I thought I had gotten rid of it in time."

"You did." Yayoi smiled.

"I was practicing," Takane explained. "We must practice almost daily to keep our skills high. The time of battle is fast approaching; that is why we are so glad to have you, young prodigy."

"I'm a prodigy?" Yayoi gasped, cocking her head.

Takane giggled, a light and airy giggle that reminded Yayoi of her kooky baby brother back at home. "Yes, you are indeed."

"Wow…!"

Takane smiled and headed out into the hallways. Yayoi followed. "Yayoi, do you know what makes a wizard or witch powerful?" Takane asked suddenly.

"Um…hard work and perseverance?" Yayoi tried.

"Oftentimes, that is the case. But with prodigies like yourself—and like I—and, in fact, with all magicians—there is something else that gives you power."

Yayoi nodded to show she understood.

"It is your soul. The more of your element is housed within your very soul, the more powerful you will be."

Yayoi nodded again, more slowly. "I think I get it."

"The Stone Mage and the Wind Mage needed hard work in order to get to where they are now. They pushed themselves to the edges of their limits and achieved enough to become mages. The rest of us were prodigies like yourself. We did, indeed, have to work, but certainly not nearly as hard," Takane added. "I have always been a rather secretive person; my past is shrouded in mystery, and I do not often share with others. Because my very soul is mysterious and covered in shadows, achieving the goal of Shadow Mage came easily for me. The Sun Mage, Miki, is a bright and shining girl like yourself. She is known for stealing the spotlight, and thus had little to no trouble becoming a mage. Minase Iori, the Flame Mage, is temperamental, stubborn, and passionate. And our Grand Mage, the Ice Mage Kisaragi Chihaya, has a past full of brokenness, brittleness, and bitterness. Thus, becoming the Ice Mage—and the Grand Mage, the most powerful of all—was as easy as counting to three."

Yayoi grinned. "Now I get it!" she announced. "So then, that means I'm a prodigy because of my positivity, energy, and friendliness! …right?"

Takane giggled again and turned to look at her. "Exactly," she concluded.

Yayoi beamed. "U-uun…! Now I really can't wait to get started!" she squealed.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

Takane, quick as a flash, suddenly tackled Yayoi to the ground just as a huge fireball flew over their heads. The Shadow Mage glanced up and looked around. She kept Yayoi on the ground as the flaming orb suddenly changed direction and charged back over them, straight into an auburn-haired young girl. Yayoi screeched a warning, but the girl paid no heed. The fireball slammed into her and was instantly absorbed into her body. Shocked and confused, Yayoi only stared at her as Takane stood and brushed off her ornate black gown.

Two identical-looking girls slowly stepped out from around a corner, their heads bowed in shame. The auburn-haired girl gritted her teeth and looked at them.

"Ami! Mami! You two idiots almost hit the new prodigy!" she reprimanded.

"Sorry, Iorin!" one of the twins whined.

"Yeah, Iorin! We're really sorry!" the other agreed.

Takane smiled. "Ami, Mami. Were you two practicing your powers again?"

"Yeah, Ohime-chin! Didja see Ami's fireball?" the first twin squealed, turning away from the other girl and towards Takane.

"Mami made one too!" her sister declared. "Then they merged and became huge."

"And almost killed you," the first added.

The auburn-haired girl frowned and put her hands on her hips. "That's it, you two go back to your rooms. I'll be back to train you later," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am…" the twins, Ami and Mami, muttered sadly. They cast solemn glances at Takane and then vanished around the corner again.

The other girl sighed heavily and joined Takane and Yayoi. "You're Takatsuki Yayoi?"

"Y-yes," Yayoi stuttered. _…temperamental, stubborn, and passionate…is this Iori the Flame Mage?_

"I am Minase Iori-chan, the Flame Mage."

_Yep. _"Nice to meet you, Iori…-san!"

Iori smiled slightly. "Iori-chan is fine," she insisted. "I'm the same age as you, I've heard."

"You're only fourteen?!" Yayoi gasped. "W-wow! And you're already a mage…!"

"Our Grand Mage is only sixteen," Iori said carelessly. "She trains a twenty-one-year-old water wizard. Now THAT'S amazing. Honestly, that Azusa is so ditsy!"

Yayoi giggled. "You sound nice, Iori-chan," she decided.

Iori blinked. "Nice. That's new," she muttered. "…hey, I'll take you to that Miki's room, alright? Maybe we'll meet up sometime. Of course, I have my hands so full training those fire twins…"

"Ami…-chan, and Mami-chan, right?"

"Yeah. They're a year younger than us at thirteen."

"Ah."

Iori nodded at Takane, who nodded back and flashed Yayoi a smile before vanishing down the hallway. Iori took the lead.

"Do you know how things work here, Yayoi?" Iori asked. Yayoi shrugged.

"I know that there are wizards for the six elements, and mages for a more advanced form of the six elements; shadow, ice, flame, wind, stone, and sun. And I know that the mages train the wizards until they are strong enough to become mages themselves, or…or until the mage dies," she told her new companion.

Iori nodded. "The mages train the wizards whose element matches up to their own. For instance, I train the twin fire wizards and Takane trains the darkness wizard. And that blasted Sun Mage will train you. Good luck."

"Do you not like the Sun Mage, Iori-chan?"

"That is the biggest understatement I've ever—"

Iori was cut off by a door suddenly flying off its hinges at her. She screamed and, on instinct, stretched out a shield of flames. The door was burned to a crisp, which received another scream, this time from inside the now-open room. Iori growled.

"MAKOTOOO!"

"I-I-I'm so sorry, Iori-chan!" came a frail voice. Yayoi glanced inside the room to find a brunette young woman in a long white dress clutching her hands to her chest. Her face looked frightened and strained, and Yayoi wondered if she would look like that on her first day too.

Iori's flame shield vanished. "Where's that Makoto?!"

"Sh-she's in the bathroom…"

"And you practiced alone?!"

"She told me to keep practicing…!"

Iori tapped her foot. "I'm waiting for her," she declared. "In the meantime…Yayoi, meet the air wizard Yukiho. Yukiho, this is the new light wizard, Yayoi."

Yukiho slowly stepped out of the doorway, her hands shaking and her brown eyes wide. "N-nice to meet you," she stuttered, stretching out a hand to Yayoi. Yayoi grinned and bounced up to her.

"Nice to meet you too! U-uun~!" she cheered, taking the other wizard's extended hand and shaking it wildly. Yukiho smiled slightly.

At that moment, a door in the corner slammed open and a black-haired girl that may have been a boy literally flew over to Yukiho and Yayoi. Yayoi jumped away on instinct as the black-haired girl (boy?) slammed her (his?) hands on Yukiho's shoulders. Yukiho squeaked.

"I heard a crash, are you alright?!" the person demanded.

"I hit Iori-chan with the door again!" Yukiho whined.

"You…" Iori cleared her throat and the black-haired person slowly turned towards her.

"Makoto! Keep a tighter leash on that one, won't you?!" Iori snapped. "Why, one of these days she'll crush me like a pancake! And you KNOW that won't be good with Turiavita growing stronger daily."

Makoto heaved a great sigh and walked over to Iori, a sheepish expression on her/his face. "Geez, Iori…sorry about her, you know I'm still getting used to teaching…"

"Well, get used to it faster!" Iori demanded.

"I don't see YOUR students improving!" Makoto lashed back.

"At least they don't hit people with doors!"

"Right; they almost burn them to a crisp with runaway fireballs instead. Do you know they burned my clothes off last night? My clothes! In front of everyone!"

"They WHAT?!"

"Keep a tighter leash on those ones, will you?" Makoto flashed a sarcastic grin.

Iori growled again. "You know what? You aren't even worth my insults! Just meet the new wizard so we can get away from you!"

"New wizard?" Makoto's expression instantly changed from one of sarcasm to confusion, and then again when she/he/it glanced down at Yayoi and grinned. "Hey, so you're the Shining Prodigy, huh? Nice to meet you. My name's Kikuchi Makoto, and I'm the Wind Mage." The Wind Mage held out a hand, which Yayoi shook.

_The Wind Mage and the Stone Mage had to work hard to get to where they are now…_

"Ah…you must be strong." Yayoi nodded to finalize her point.

Makoto giggled nervously. "Not really. I'm the weakest of the mages right now, but that's just because I'm the newest too. I'll get used to it, you'll see." She nodded. "Right. Is Iori taking you to meet Miki?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, I won't keep you. I should probably teach Yukiho how not to shoot doors at people too. And, thanks to your combined efforts, I have to buy ANOTHER new door."

"It's her fault!" Iori pouted.

"I'm sorry!" Yukiho whimpered.

Makoto waved her (his? Yayoi still wasn't sure, since Makoto's face wasn't much girlier up close but she was near positive there weren't any boys at Namuko Academy) hand in dismissal. "Whatever. Each to his own, right? I'll take care of Yukiho, you just handle making sure those twins never burn off people's clothes in public again."

"Wait!"

Makoto turned around. Yayoi cocked her head.

"Makoto-san…"

"Yeah?"

"…what gender are you?"

Makoto wilted. "…that's your only question, huh…"

"You wear pants and a shirt. The rest of the mages wear fancy dresses. Plus you look like a boy. But as far as I know, there are no boys here, so you must be a girl, but if that's true then where are your breasts?" Yayoi rambled on, oblivious to Makoto's growing depression and Iori's wild laughter.

"…Yayoi."

"Uh-huh?"  
"For future reference, never, EVER bring up my masculine appearance again, or I will hang you from a chandelier."

"…yes."

"And to make sure…I'm a girl. I have always been a girl, and I will always be a girl. Case closed."

"…yes, I'm sorry."

Makoto sighed. "Yeah, whatever…Yukiho, let's work on that jet-stream some more…" The now-withered Wind Mage returned to her room (and to her student) to teach some more while Iori calmed down from her laugh attack.

"That was priceless…" Iori muttered. "I like you, Yayoi."

"Thank you?" Yayoi blinked. "I think I hurt her feelings."

"She'll get over it. Now come on, let's meet Miki!"

Together, the duo continued on until they reached a room with a bejeweled door and a shiny handle and knocker. Iori rapped on the door until it slid open, revealing a green-eyed blonde wearing a huge grin.

"Deko-chan! What brings you here?" she yelped.

"Call me Deko-chan one more time and you're toast—literally," Iori shot. "I brought you your new student. Takatsuki Yayoi, the Shining Prodigy…meet Hoshii Miki, the Annoying Idiot."

"They actually call Miki the Sparkling Superstar, nano," Miki corrected proudly. "So, did you just get here, Yayoi?"

"Yup!" Yayoi cheered. "Are you the Sun Mage?"

"Uh-huh~!"

Yayoi giggled. "Oh, you seem like so much fun, Miki-san!" she laughed. "I can't wait to start working with you! High touch!"

Miki looked down at Yayoi's outstretched palm and gave her a high touch as requested. "Before we get started…have you met the Grand Mage yet?" she questioned.

Iori drew in a small gasp. "I forgot to introduce her to the Ice Mage!" she realized. "My goodness…Yayoi, you have to meet her right now!"

Yayoi jumped slightly. "R-right!" she gasped. "Miki-san, you come too!"

"Gotcha, nano~!"

The trio headed towards the end of the hall, towards the giant, grand double doors that protected the Grand Mage Chihaya from outside interference. Yayoi was awed by the size of the doors (they had to be at least twenty feet high), and equally awed by the huge room behind them, and even more awed by the beautiful young woman lounging on a waterbed in the back of the room. She watched as the bluenette, probably the Ice Mage, froze the water in her bed with a simple touch, then allowed the ice to spread until not only her bed, but the floor around it, was covered with a thin layer of ice. Yayoi looked around at the multitude of ice sculptures around the room, most of which of a young boy Yayoi didn't know. Iori slowly walked in and paused by Chihaya. The two exchanged some words, then Iori used a gentle flames to melt the ice around Chihaya's bed back into water.

Miki gently coaxed Yayoi over to Chihaya, who looked up from her bed as Yayoi approached. Iori stood straight as a board by her side while Chihaya sat up slowly and examined her new guest.

"Takatsuki Yayoi, the Shining Prodigy. Correct?" she said softly, in a voice that sounded like it belonged to an angel instead of a battle-scarred mage.

"Correct," Yayoi affirmed.

Chihaya smiled slightly. "I am the Ice Mage, Kisaragi Chihaya. Takatsuki-san, do you know why you are here?"

"…to meet you?"

"Not 'here' as in 'this room'. 'Here' as in 'at NamukoAcademy'." Chihaya paused. "No, that is the wrong question. What I mean to ask is, 'do you know why NamukoAcademy exists?'"

Yayoi blinked. "To…train young wizards?" she guessed.

Chihaya nodded. "Yes, at the beginning that was what it was," she murmured, sliding of the foot of the bed to stand in front of Yayoi. "But now it serves a far more dangerous purpose."

Yayoi was silent.

"Ten years ago, a group of villains was formed; villains with the goal of taking over the magic world. They are copies—dark copies. They are the physical incarnations of the most talented mages and wizards…well, most of them are. Three were created out of the darkness of those villain's souls."

Yayoi said nothing, trying to comprehend what Chihaya was telling her.

"They are called Turiavita. The lighter of the copies form the sub-branch Mondenkind and are slaves to the more evil villains. They call themselves 'witches', or 'warlocks' for the men. They aim to kill us all and harness our power as their own."

Yayoi gulped. "…Ch-Chihaya-san…"

"Are you backing out?" Chihaya's eyes narrowed. "Turiavita is getting stronger every day. Their Grand Witch, my copy, is on equal par with me, and their Ice Witch, the Ice Queen Kikuchi Makoto, may even surpass my talent one day. Her heart is filled to the brim with hatred and coldness…while I sustain at least a small soft spot, which makes me naturally weaker than her."

The room was completely silent. Yayoi shifted.

"…are they anything like us?" she asked quietly. "The dark copies."

"No. Not usually," Chihaya muttered. "They are more evil, more bitter. More twisted."

Yayoi nodded. "…I want to help," she murmured. "Even though I'm really scared, I'd like to help you. Please, Chihaya-san…Miki-san…Iori-chan! Please make me a better wizard! Teach me how to use my power!"

Miki beamed. Iori smirked. Chihaya smiled.

"Then I welcome you officially to NamukoAcademy," Chihaya announced. "Welcome, Shining Prodigy Takatsuki Yayoi. May your abilities radiate your brilliant soul."

Yayoi laughed. "Thank you!" she cried, tears of joy and relief beginning to form in her eyes. "I won't let you down, everyone! Thank you!"

Iori smiled and joined Yayoi. "Well…we should get you to work. Miki, come! We must begin to train her!"

"You mean, Miki must."

"Whatever."

The trio exited Chihaya's room after bidding the Grand Mage farewell. Slowly, they started off back to Miki's room to begin Yayoi's training. During the walk, another question popped into Yayoi's head.

"Iori-chan, does everyone here have a title?" she asked curiously. "Like, I'm the Shining Prodigy and Miki-san is the Sparkling Superstar."

"Most of us," Iori corrected. "I'm known as the Passionate Flame. The Stone Mage, Akizuki Ritsuko, is the Stem of Knowledge. Makoto is the Wind of the North, the twins are the Flame-boyant Nuisances—I came up with that one—Chihaya is the Frozen Beauty of Namuko Academy…what else?"

"Deko-chan—Iori-chan forgot that Yukiho is the Gentle Coward, and that Haruka is the Earth Kisser. 'Cause she trips all the time and lands face-down on the dirt," Miki elaborated.

Yayoi giggled. "What about in Turiavita?"

"Chihaya is the Psycho Explosion, Makoto is the Ice Queen, Karasu is the Phantom Sadist, Yukiho's the Lonely Breeze—"

"Wait, who's Karasu?"

"One of the warlocks. He was created from the darkness of Chihaya's soul. He's a Shadow Warlock, but he's incredibly dangerous. Best known for appearing out of nowhere where you least expect him. He runs Turiavita alongside Chihaya, pretty smart—"

"Super hot." Miki nodded.

Iori shot her a glare. "In other words, he's one of the strongest of Turiavita. Watch out."

Yayoi gulped. "…what about Takane-san's copy?"

"She doesn't have one. Too tricky."

"Miki doesn't have one either. Neither does Miki's friend Hibiki, the darkness wizard. We call her the Hidden Bullet."

Yayoi nodded slowly. "Alright. I think I understand..." she muttered. "…Miki-san, please take care of me! I want to become a strong wizard!"

"You're in Miki's care!" Miki responded. "Let's do our best together with Deko-chan!"

"My name's not DEKO-CHAN!"

Yayoi put out both her hands, palm out. "High touch, Miki-san! Iori-chan!"

With a smile, both girls fulfilled her request simultaneously. And a cheer was let loose from three mouths at once:

"NamukoAcademy…FIGHT-O~!"

**(A/N: Well!**

**This is a project I just randomly thought of recently. In case you can't guess, the characters of Idolmaster: Xenoglossia are the enemies here. So yeah. iDOLM STER girls as wizards! Fun, right?**

**The beginning of this moved kinda slow and I thought it was kinda bad. What do you guys think? Well, now that everything is set up, I can start to pick things up a bit. **

**You know what, you guys? Makoto's role in this is going to be so minor, I think I secretly died and was reborn as a Makoto-disliking freakazoid.**

**I never give her a minor role. Never. UNTIL NOOOOOW.**

**Sorry.**

**SO YEAH! I'd love to hear what you think, so if you have time, drop a review! I'd love you forever.**

**BYE~.)**


	2. Chapter the Second

**(A/N: This is where things get a little confusing.**

**Since most of the Xenoglossia characters have the same names as their iDOLM STER counterparts, I'll be calling the iDOLM STER girls by just their names (Chihaya, Yayoi, Iori) and the Xenoglossia girls by their names proceeded by the word "Dark" (Dark Chihaya, Dark Yayoi, Dark Iori). The exceptions are: when Xenoglossia characters talk to each other, or when a scene features only one of each character (I'll occasionally call Dark Chihaya "Chihaya" instead of "Dark chihaya". Get it?) Yeah. **

**ENJOY.)**

To most civilians, she looked innocent enough; long blue hair tucked neatly behind her ears, an elegant (albeit revealing) red dress, and brown eyes that seemed to sparkle when she smiled. But to those who knew the truth, the Grand Witch, Dark Kisaragi Chihaya, was as ruthless and terrifying as you could get.

There were some who regarded her differently—Dark Hagiwara Yukiho, the air witch, saw the Grand Witch as a role model (and possible object of affection), the darkness witch Riffa saw her as a playmate, Karasu viewed Dark Chihaya simply as his mistress, and Dark Kikuchi Makoto saw Dark Chihaya as an inferior being (although she knew better than to voice this opinion out loud).

The Flame Witch tapped her fingers on her desk, gazing into a screen that displayed a section of the Mondenkind holding room (often referred to as the "prison", which was rather accurate considering Chihaya's personality and the status of the Mondenkind workers). Around her, Karasu moved from screen to screen, checking on various things throughout the Grand Witch's tower. Sometimes he paused to offer a warning to one of the slaves through a microphone, other times offered Dark Chihaya a chance to punish them through her flames. The Grand Witch usually accepted.

"You look bored," Karasu commented, taking a seat beside the leader of Turiavita. Dark Chihaya angled her eyes at him, but didn't move her head.

"That seems accurate," she muttered. "Where is the air wizard?"

"Practicing in her room."

"Riffa?"

"Outside playing with the axes."

"The Ice Witch?"

"Here." The response came from a figure wrapped in a dark cloak, stationed at a desk a few feet away. Dark Chihaya looked over at her.

"Anything new at NamukoAcademy?"

"A light wizard," the Ice Witch answered without hesitation.

The Flame Witch leapt to her feet, fury flashing across her gaze. "A WHAT?!"

"NamukoAcademy just officially welcomed the Shining Prodigy, Takatsuki Yayoi," the Ice Witch elaborated. "She's the brand new light wizard. Doesn't know how to use her powers. Easy pickings."

"Easy…" Chihaya gritted her teeth. "She's a prodigy!"

"So were all of us," the Ice Witch replied evenly.

There was a pause as Dark Chihaya allowed this to sink in fully. "…True."

The hooded girl slowly rose to her feet and stepped away from the monitor she had been stationed at, indicating with a flick of her wrist that the Grand Witch was to sit down and take a look at things herself. Dark Chihaya obeyed after a moment.

"…Takatsuki Yayoi, the Shining Prodigy…" She trailed off, an insane grin stretching across her face. "Well, well…I'd say she deserves a nice welcome, wouldn't you? Makoto?"

The Ice Witch smirked slightly.

Dark Chihaya stood. "Karasu, Makoto. We're going to pay a visit to a new student."

Karasu grinned. "As you wish."

Dark Makoto chuckled.

*.*.*.*

Yayoi yawned. It was at least nine o' clock at night, which wasn't really that late, but since Yayoi had been training all day she was awfully tired.

Her training sessions had been fun, as she hoped. Miki was a good teacher and knew how to get her to relax and have fun whilst learning how to control her light energy. Yayoi already knew how to produce a good-sized beam of light from her bare hands.

She snuggled into her blankets, trying to get nice and cozy before she used her abilities to sap up all the light, thus making it dark enough to sleep (Miki had taught her how to absorb her element. After learning that it was possible to do such a thing, the fireball vanishing into Iori's body the day before made perfect sense). After another yawn, Yayoi was ready. She began to dim the lights.

"Getting ready to sleep, are we?"

Yayoi stiffened. The voice she'd heard was not familiar. There was something very ominous about it, and it definitely sounded male. Still, Yayoi couldn't remember any boys in the academy. She wondered who was speaking to her.

"So the Shining Prodigy is too good to talk to a Shadow Warlock. I see how it is," the voice sighed. "Well, I can at least help you get rid of the light in the room."

"Th-there's no need," Yayoi insisted weakly, trying to keep her voice level. _Shadow…Warlock…?_

There was a low chuckle from somewhere in her room. "No need to thank me, dear light wizard. I only wish to make things comfortable for your death," the voice purred sweetly. Yayoi opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when she saw shadows emerging from every corner of her room, swallowing up what little light was left and replacing it with the most intense darkness she'd ever witnessed. She whimpered.

_It's…so dark…! What's going on?_

A small tapping sound followed soon after, a noise that sounded like footsteps. The longer Yayoi listened, the closer the footsteps seemed.

"I hope you aren't afraid of the dark," she heard the voice murmur from somewhere far too close for comfort. "I prefer to leave the scaring to the mistress."

"Mis…tress…" Yayoi paused. "…The Shadow Warlock of Turiavita, considered extremely dangerous, second-in-command to the Grand Witch Chihaya." She tried to remember more of what had been said about this person. "…super hot."

The man chuckled again. "Why, thank you."

"Miki-san said it."

"Pass along my thanks."

"…yes."

There was another pause, then the crinkling of sheets. Yayoi felt more weight on her bed than she was used to and guessed that Karasu had just sat on it. "So you're the Shining Prodigy."

"Y-yes, sir," Yayoi responded politely. After all, there was no need to say something rude. Karasu was being surprisingly polite himself, and ticking him off would surely get her killed. She wished she could see his face to see if there was any sign of growing aggravation.

"Do you know how to use your powers?"

"A bit…"

"Then bring the light back."

Yayoi blinked. "What?"

"If you can bring the light back into the room using your powers, I'll consider not killing you and bringing you to Mondenkind instead."

Yayoi gulped.

"Do you accept the challenge?"

"…a-alright," Yayoi whispered. She was a prodigy. She should be able to bring the light back.

Focusing on all the light energy within her soul (which was really all but gone now, lost in the darkness of her terror), Yayoi lifted her hands and produced the beam of light she'd just learned how to produce. Unfortunately for her, it was instantly swallowed by the shadows of Karasu's powers. She had just enough time to see that the man had chin-length black hair before the light flickered out and she was plunged back into darkness.

Karasu offered light applause. "The fact that you were able to make it light for just a second is promising," he admitted. Yayoi felt a bit of her former joy return and used it to produce a stronger beam of light. This time she caught sight of Karasu's long black robe before it was put out again. Yayoi gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Try again," the Shadow Warlock urged, sounding amused.

"Oh, come on, stop toying with her!" came another voice. This one was definitely female, and also sounded surprisingly sweet.

"We're just having a little fun, Mistress," Karasu complained. "Alright, did you want to meet the new student too?"

_Mistress, _Yayoi repeated in her mind. _…Dark Kisaragi Chihaya…the Flame Witch._

Dark Chihaya snickered. "I think I will," she said smoothly. All at once, a bright flame appeared in the room, casting a bit of light on the shadows. Karasu allowed his power to fade until Yayoi's room was bright enough for her to see, but still dark enough that she couldn't see so clearly. The light of Dark Chihaya's flame allowed Yayoi to see her features clearly; she was a tall, busty woman (in contrast to the Ice Mage's obvious lack of a chest), with long blue hair and almost friendly brown eyes. She was smiling, but the way her mouth was twisted made it look more like a sneer.

"K-Kisaragi Chihaya," Yayoi muttered. "The Flame Witch."

"You know me?" Chihaya purred. "I'm flattered."

"The Grand Mage talks about you sometimes," Yayoi continued, trying to seem brave. She considered calling for help, but assumed that if she made any loud noise, the Grand Witch would burn her to a crisp before anyone got there.

"Ah, yes. My light copy. Kisaragi Chihaya, the Grand Mage of Ice. The Frozen Beauty of NamukoAcademy. The first prodigy to arrive at this school. A fantastic magician, I must admit," the other Chihaya mumbled. "But not nearly as powerful as me."

Yayoi whimpered again and felt Karasu's hand on her shoulder. She winced at his touch.

"Relax," he cooed, in that kind voice he used that deceived Yayoi into thinking she was safe. "I was only kidding about killing you before. We just want to introduce ourselves."

"Correct," Dark Chihaya confirmed. "Karasu, bring up the lights a bit. I want her to see us clearly enough to remember these faces. One day, they'll be the last things she ever sees."

Karasu obeyed, clearing his shadows from the room and leaving Yayoi's quarters in dim light again. The young wizard stole a glance at Karasu's now-revealed face and concluded that he was, indeed, quite attractive. She wondered if her had a girlfriend, then noticed her thoughts were wandering and focused back on Chihaya.

Dark Chihaya examined her. "So let me guess," she began, "you're a prodigy because you are fun, energetic, kind, joyous, positive. Naïve."

Yayoi nodded slowly.

"Do you know why I was a flame prodigy?"

"Because you're stubborn, temperamental, and passionate like Iori-chan?"

"No." The Flame Witch smirked. "Do you know what fire does?"

"…gives warmth and light in the dark, cold forest?"

"It DESTROYS."

Yayoi shrank back and felt Karasu's hand tighten on her shoulder. The feeling of another human being who seemed even remotely kind so nearby made her relax a bit.

"I was—am—a flame prodigy because I am destructive, merciless, and—simply put—evil," Dark Chihaya continued. "Karasu is sly, deceiving, and mysterious. Thus, the perfect Shadow Warlock."

"Hey," Karasu half-whined. "Don't tell her that."

"And Makoto?"

There was a snort from the doorway. Yayoi looked past Dark Chihaya and spotted a girl leaning against Yayoi's wooden door, a pale blue robe clamped around her pale body, dark purple hair that was short enough to classify her as another Makoto, and closed eyes. As Yayoi stared, the girl pushed off the wall and opened her eyes, and Yayoi couldn't help but gasp.

There was something about those eyes—something about those bright, ice-blue eyes—that made Yayoi suddenly very afraid. She instinctually moved closer to Karasu even though she knew he was dangerous.

_The Ice Witch. Dark Kikuchi Makoto._

Dark Makoto joined her leader by her side and glared down at Yayoi with those cold, unforgiving eyes. Yayoi made a choked sobbing sound. She remembered what the light Chihaya, the Ice Mage, had told her about this Makoto.

_"Her heart is filled to the brim with hatred and coldness…"_

"Makoto? Be a dear and introduce yourself to the new wizard," Dark Chihaya invited. Dark Makoto stood straight and tall and peered down at Yayoi.

"Kikuchi Makoto, age sixteen. The Ice Witch of Turiavita," Dark Makoto recited.

"Otherwise known as our beloved Ice Queen," Karasu added. "Been a prodigy since the day she was born."

Yayoi started shivering despite the fact that she was nice and toasty all curled up in her blankets.

Dark Chihaya giggled, which was somehow more creepy than her deep chuckle. "I am the leader of Turiavita. Karasu is my right-hand man, and Makoto is my strongest warrior. We are easily the most dangerous magicians in the entire world. Just the slightest thing will set me off, Karasu is practically impossible to predict, and Makoto? Makoto needs no reason at all to use her deadliest techniques. I thought you would appreciate the warning."

Yayoi only nodded. She was far too frightened to do anything else.

Karasu's hand moved around her arms and draped over her other shoulder, forcing her closer to him. "Come on, Chihaya. Play nice. It's only her first time meeting us, after all."

"I think she deserved to know," the Flame Witch trilled innocently. "Well, Shining Prodigy? Would you care for a little demonstration?"

Yayoi shook her head violently. "N-no thank you, I'd really just like to go to sleep…"

"Oh, don't be like that," Dark Chihaya insisted. "You should know what you're up against."

"I think my darkness earlier was enough of a show," Karasu decided.

"You're being too gentle with her," Dark Chihaya scolded.

Karasu smirked. "Relax, 'honey'. She'll see my full power soon enough. I just like to toy around a bit before I go in for the kill."

"You have always been like that," Dark Chihaya murmured, something similar to love sneaking into her words. Yayoi wondered if she and Karasu were in some sort of romantic relationship. The thought distracted her from her impending doom until she caught sight of the Ice Queen's narrowed blue eyes and instantly stiffened up again. "Alright, pay attention, little wizard. This is what a real flame magician can do."

Yayoi watched as ordered as Dark Chihaya created a huge ball of fire with her hands and sent it flying around the room. After a while, she dropped her hands and closed her eyes, allowing only her mind to control the fireball. Yayoi watched, admittedly mesmerized, as it zoomed around the room, went up into the air, dropped straight towards her, and then veered away at the last second, gaining speed and size as it went. The light wizard glanced back at the Grand Witch to see her squinting and fidgeting, as though concentrating on something.

For the end of her show, she drove the fireball straight into the wall, causing Yayoi's room to explode in flames. Yayoi screamed, expecting to be fried right then and there, but a shadow shield from Karasu kept both of them nice and safe. Dark Chihaya snapped her fingers and Dark Makoto spread a layer of ice over all the infected areas, successfully putting out Chihaya's fire.

"What do you think?" Dark Chihaya purred.

"Th-that was very scary," Yayoi whined, snuggling against her protector, who chuckled at the likely pitiful sight. Yayoi thought she saw jealousy in Chihaya's eyes and concluded that they were definitely a couple.

"I am, aren't I?" Dark Chihaya sighed proudly. "Makoto?"

"I'm already halfway done."

"Huh?" Yayoi uttered. She noticed for the first time how cold her legs were and looked down to notice they were covered in ice. She let out a small scream.

The ice climbed up her body, clinging to every inch of bare skin and extending upwards until every part of her body was submerged but her eyes. She made a few muffled noises of terror, then saw Karasu slide his arm off of her and realized that Dark Makoto had so much control over her powers that she'd managed to cover Yayoi without getting a single snowflake on Karasu.

But the part that scared Yayoi the most was the fact that Makoto hadn't moved at all. She had only even blinked once or twice, and seemed to be breathing perfectly normally. This kind of thing hardly hindered her at all.

Yayoi realized she was starting to legitimately freeze. She could no longer feel her legs, or her stomach, and was fairly certain her heart was stopping. She felt tears pour from her eyes, tears that quickly became ice the second they hit her cheeks.

Karasu seemed to notice, since he lifted a hand and looked over at Dark Makoto. "Makoto, you're killing her. Let go," he ordered. Makoto looked over at him past her eyelids, then sighed. All at once, the ice fell off of Yayoi's body and the feeling immediately returned to her legs. The ginger-headed wizard broke into sobs. Karasu patted her back.

"Makoto."

"Kisaragi asked for a demonstration," the Ice Witch muttered.

"You terrified her half to death and nearly killed her!"

"Then that's one less wizard to take care of later," Dark Makoto lashed back, her eyes flashing with anger. Yayoi began to tremble, knowing that the only emotion she'd seen Makoto display was fury.

Chihaya started to laugh. Karasu sighed and gave Yayoi one last gentle pat before standing up. Makoto only stood there, arms crossed as they'd been the entire time.

"Well, I think that's good enough," Dark Chihaya decided. "Karasu, Makoto, we're leaving. Catch you later…Takatsuki Yayoi." And with that, the three Turiavita members simply faded into the night through Karasu's shadows, Dark Chihaya's evil laugh echoing through the hallways of NamukoAcademy.

As soon as they left, Yayoi broke into sobs.

_These people are my enemies? How am I supposed to beat that?_

She curled up in her blankets, sapped up more light before deciding she was too afraid to sleep in darkness, and tried to fall asleep. Her task was successful, but through all the nightmares, she almost wished it wasn't.


	3. Chapter the Third

Chapter the Third

"It was horrible! Absolutely horrible!"

Iori sat by Yayoi's side as the sobbing girl told the story of her meeting with Turiavita last night. Miki was standing up on Yayoi's other side, and the Grand Mage Chihaya was in front of her, listening intently.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Chihaya demanded.

"W-well, first my room got really dark and Karasu-san showed up and sat on my bed, and we had a nice conversation like normal people."

"Then?"

"Then Dark Chihaya-san showed up and Karasu-san made my room light again—by the way, Miki-san, he said thanks for calling him attractive."

Miki giggled.

"And Dark Chihaya-san set my room on fire so Dark Makoto-san put the fire out and then almost froze me to death."

"Makoto was there?" Chihaya gasped. "They never send her out with a group! She's usually sent as a solitary assassin…and I can't recall her ever personally meeting the wizards unless she was on a mission…"

Yayoi sniffled. "Sh-she was there," she repeated. "…Chihaya-san?"

"Yes?"

"What's the deal with Dark Makoto-san's eyes?"

Chihaya winced. "…the Rune Eyes…"

"What?"

"Let me explain," Iori ordered. "Sometimes, when a wizard is born, their eye color just so happens to match up with the element of their powers. When this happens, the wizard develops Rune Eyes when they become a Mage or Greater Witch. The Rune Eyes increase the power of the wizard's element and give them special abilities that no other magician can unlock." The Flame Mage gestured to her own eyes. "See how my eyes are kinda pinkish-red?"

"Yeah."

"Well, since fire can be red and my eyes are kinda red, I have Rune Eyes. Dark Iori has them too."

"How many magicians have them?" Yayoi asked.

Iori thought about it. "Um…six."

"O-only six…?!"

"That's how rare the Rune Eyes are. Out of the twenty-six magicians in the world, only six have the Rune Eyes."

"Who are they?" was Yayoi's next question.

"Dark Chihaya, me, Dark Iori, Dark Makoto, and Ritsuko," Iori answered.

"Makoto's are the most powerful," Chihaya muttered. "Her soul is already a kick-start to her powers, she put in enough work to reach Greater Witch at the age of nine, and her Rune Eye abilities are as polished as can be. She can control her ice flawlessly without even moving." There was a pause as the inhabitants of the room allowed this information to sink in. "In truth, Dark Makoto should be the Grand Witch. But since Dark Chihaya was already the leader of Turiavita by the time she was recruited—"

"I don't understand," Yayoi complained. "What age was Makoto-san when the witches and warlocks were created?"

"Seven," Chihaya answered.

"So…was Dark Makoto-san seven when she was created?"

"Yes."

"That means you were six."

"Correct."

"But what about Dark Chihaya-san?"

Chihaya nodded slowly. "She used a machine to amplify her age so her powers would be more fully developed. By the time Turiavita was formed, she was already thirty-nine."

"Wizards use machines?!"

"No," Chihaya corrected, "but Turiavita does."

Yayoi moaned. "I'm so confused!"

"It's a lot of information to take in," Chihaya half-cooed, smiling slightly. "When Dark Chihaya formed Karasu, she was about forty-two. Karasu is only a year or two younger than her."

"He's in his forties?!"

"Miki thought he was, like, twenty!" Miki gasped.

"Looks can be deceiving," Chihaya replied simply. "…Takatsuki-san, would you like to hear a story?"

Yayoi nodded. "I love stories!"

"Who in Turiavita are you the most curious about?"

Yayoi thought about it. "…I have a question."

"Ask away."

"What kind of person is Karasu-san?"

Chihaya paused. "The worst kind."

"What do you mean?" Yayoi pressed.

Chihaya looked away. "He's deceptive in the worst way, Takatsuki-san," she muttered. "He makes you feel safe around him. Protected. Like he won't let anything happen to you. And then, when the time is right, he goes in for the kill. Literally."

Yayoi gulped. "…he seemed so kind last night," she murmured. "He saved my life by telling Dark Makoto-san to unfreeze me."

"Don't be fooled," Chihaya warned. "Because he was made of the darkness of Chihaya's soul, he's as cunning as can be."

Yayoi nodded again. "What about Dark Chihaya-san?" she continued. "What's her story? Why is she like this?"

Chihaya sat on Yayoi's bed beside the small ginger and crossed her legs. "…when Chihaya was young, she lived with her adopted sister, Dark Azusa. The two of them were the adopted children of the two great wizards who had created them. They loved learning about magic. But…while Dark Azusa seemed to take a lighter path, Dark Chihaya was always fascinated by the more destructive side of magic. She had her parents increase the age of herself and Azusa so that their powers would develop faster. Soon after, Chihaya lost control of her powers and killed her parents.

"Azusa was devastated, but Chihaya was furious at herself. She used this fury to channel her energy and make herself the Grand Witch. With this newfound power, she formed Turiavita, with the intention of using her powers to kill the light wizards—us—and harness our power so that one day, she could use her abilities to revive her parents.

"But…over time, her intentions became more wicked. She focused more on the power itself and less on what she'd originally planned to do with it. Turiavita was too lonely with just herself, so she created Karasu to give herself a mate."

"So they are a couple," Yayoi interrupted.

"I'd say it's more like the relationship between a prostitute and her customer," Iori mumbled. Chihaya shot her a harsh glance.

"Yes, they are a couple," she responded. "From the lighter portion of her soul, she made Riffa, the darkness witch. The two of them helped her run Turiavita. After that, she met and befriended Dark Yukiho, who grew to admire the goal Chihaya had originally possessed, and the power she was after. She joined Turiavita to be by Chihaya's side. And Makoto…Makoto was specifically recruited. Dark Chihaya knew that Dark Makoto was a bitter, distant, cold-hearted young witch. And she took advantage of that frozen soul to get the most powerful magician in—dare I say it, the world—on her team."

Chihaya looked over at Yayoi to show she was finished. Yayoi took a moment to let all this new information sink in before she asked her next question.

"Why is Dark Makoto so cruel?"

Miki sat next to Iori on the bed. "Miki knows this story! Can Miki tell it?" she begged.

"No," Iori and Chihaya said at once.

"Aw, nano…"

Chihaya rested her chin on her hands and took a deep breath. "…Makoto…wasn't always cruel," she began. "When she was first born, she was a member of the sub-branch Mondenkind. Dark Azusa took her in and cared for her, determined to keep her soul light and optimistic. The two of them grew extremely close. Dark Azusa is the only person Dark Makoto will never hurt, even to this day." Chihaya paused. "But there was an attack."

Yayoi cocked her head.

Chihaya looked down at the ground, her eyes sad. "…Turiavita had heard of some rebellions in the Mondenkind prison and decided to put a stop to it. Chihaya took Karasu and Riffa into battle and attacked. Dark Azusa, the Stone Witch, left Dark Makoto in charge of holding them off and ran to get help. The young witch used every skill she knew to defend against Turiavita until help arrived. But help…never came."

Yayoi felt her spirits fall. She hadn't realized the other Makoto had been through a traumatic experience like that.

Chihaya looked at the ceiling now. "When Azusa returned, she found Makoto bloody and broken, lying buried under a pile of her own ice. The Stone Witch dug her out and apologized, saying that she hadn't managed to find anyone who was willing to stand up against Turiavita. Dark Makoto pushed her aside and cried to her about how scared she was, how hard she tried, the hope she had that relief would eventually come. She was angry at Dark Azusa for abandoning her…the one person she'd ever truly loved…and on that day, her heart hardened.

"She began to train on her own and reached the title of Ice Witch only a few months later. Dark Chihaya wisely waited a few years before approaching her and offering her a chance at revenge. Makoto accepted without delay. Using her bitterness and distance as a guide, she trained harder and learned to use abilities I didn't even know existed," Chihaya finished. "It's a sad story, but I have no sympathy for her."

"I do," Yayoi admitted. "Maybe she just needs a friend. I would be bitter too if I thought no one cared about me."

"If you want to try to make friends with her, then go ahead," Iori snapped. "But you'll come home an icicle, I promise."

Yayoi shuddered at the memory of Dark Makoto's freezing ice on her skin.

Chihaya sighed and stood up. "Takatsuki-san, I shall station guards outside your door tonight. If Turiavita returns, scream and they will rescue you," she promised.

"What if Dark Chihaya-san attacks me for screaming?" Yayoi whined.

"We'll kill her." Chihaya's voice was grim.

"…I have one more question," Yayoi realized.

"What is it?" Chihaya prompted.

"…since Turiavita and Mondenkind are dark copies of us…what happens if one of us dies?"

Chihaya sat down again after a moment's pause. "If a dark copy dies, we lose a large chunk of our power. For instance, if we were to kill Dark Iori, then Minase-san would lose many of her abilities."

Iori nodded gravely.

"And if one of the light copies dies, the dark copy dies with them."

Yayoi nodded again, slowly. "I get it. But what about Hibiki-san and Takane-san and Miki-san who don't have copies? And Riffa-san and Karasu-san?"

"And Joseph," Miki added. "He was made from the light of Dark Azusa's soul to help her run Mondenkind. He's the Sun Warlock like Miki~. Except Miki's a girl and he's a man, nano."

Yayoi smiled, happy to hear that Miki's equal had been created to help the wizards.

"If one of them dies, nothing happens," Chihaya explained. "Because they have no copy, no one is affected by their loss."

Yayoi let out a long sigh and flopped back on her bed. "I understand, but it's so much stuff to remember!"

"Relax," Chihaya soothed. "You don't need to worry about anything other than training right now."

"Speaking of training, let's work some more on that beam of light," Miki invited. "Here…lift your hands waaay up, like this! And now think about happy stuff!"

"Like…this!"

"Yep, you got it~!"

Iori and Chihaya slowly stepped out of the room to give the trainer and trainee some privacy. Miki and Yayoi practiced putting up shields, absorbing the element, and firing a beam of light. Still, Yayoi found her training more difficult than it had been the day before.

After the day's discussion, she was almost out of happy thoughts.


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Chapter the Fourth

Chihaya froze the water within her waterbed for the hundredth time, Iori standing near to unthaw it once the Ice Mage was finished. She stared into the ice, trying her best to use her control over the element to unthaw it herself.

Dark Makoto could do it. Dark Makoto could freeze and unfreeze things as she pleased. Dark Makoto could bend her ice as though it was water.

And Chihaya hated it.

The blue-haired mage wanted to be able to do what her equal could do. But between Chihaya's lack of Rune Eyes and her love for her school, she was far too weak to accomplish such a thing. She needed to be hateful. She needed to be bitter. She needed to be frozen.

She needed to be Dark Makoto herself.

Closing her eyes and holding up a hand to Iori to indicate that the Flame Mage was to stay out of this, Chihaya called back the memory of the attack that had made her the Grand Mage in the first place.

Her little brother, Kisaragi Yuu, had been killed in that attack. And Chihaya had been able to do nothing to help him. All she had done was stand there, just a young water wizard, as Dark Chihaya's flames engulfed him completely. Sometimes, Chihaya could still hear his screams.

She should have done something. She was a water wizard at the time, a young prodigy for her calm, yet slightly distant personality, destined to be a mage one day. And yet she had been able to do nothing but watch Yuu die.

A tear slid down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. Only her best friend Amami Haruka, the earth wizard training under Ritsuko, knew that story. And Chihaya liked things that way.

"Should I unthaw it, Chihaya?" Iori asked quietly, apparently sensing that Chihaya was deep in thought.

Chihaya gritted her teeth. "It doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"I have a soft side!" Chihaya lashed, suddenly feeling very angry. "I should be able to turn the cold and solid snow into warmer and calmer water! That girl is so cruel, so unforgiving, and yet she can do such a simple task! Why can't I do it?"

"Calm down, first!" Iori ordered. "Look, it may seem simple, but I'm sure it really isn't. To downgrade your powers is harder than to grow them."

"I don't understand," Chihaya nearly hissed. "…Minase-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Spar me. I want to test my skills against a Flame Mage. Dark Chihaya is my real enemy, so I should be focusing on defeating her."

"Alright, Grand Mage."

Chihaya forced herself to look away from her still-frozen waterbed and focus on Iori instead. Iori made a small ball of flame in her left hand and waited for Chihaya to stand before hurling it at her. Chihaya shot a ball of ice at the fireball, which melted into water and eliminated Iori's attack. Iori almost immediately fired another, much bigger fireball, which Chihaya avoided by drawing up a shield of ice.

"Stop defending!" Iori snapped, shooting a steady stream of flame at Chihaya. "Do you think you'll be able to defeat Turiavita just by blocking all their attacks?!"

Chihaya narrowed her eyes and swerved out of the way, forming a spear of ice in her hand in the process. Iori's flames shot into Chihaya's bed, which would have been fried if it weren't for the frozen water all throughout the bed.

Chihaya whirled around to Iori's back and stabbed her ice spear at her lower vertebrae, stopping right before she actually impaled the Flame Mage. Iori gasped slightly, thrown off guard.

"…I would have killed you."

"Dark Chihaya would have set you on fire from the doorway."

"…I…"

The door to Chihaya's study swung open, revealing a waiting Yayoi. Yayoi's personal guard, a talented fighter Chihaya knew named Amagase Touma, led the girl inside. Chihaya quickly re-absorbed her ice spear and Iori brought in her flames. Yayoi slowly slid in and dismissed Touma, but the auburn-haired spearman remained by the door. Yayoi shrugged and went to Chihaya and Iori.

"Miki-san told me I could come see you, Grand Mage-san," she began. "I have a question."

"Another one?" Iori sighed. Chihaya nudged her with an elbow.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You said Dark Chihaya-san wants to kill us," Yayoi continued. "Doesn't she know the dark copies will die if the light copies are killed?"

"No," Chihaya said simply. "No one in Turiavita knows the truth, and I want things to stay that way."

Yayoi nodded slowly.

"If they kill one of us, then…it is a sacrifice that will serve us well. If I die fighting Turiavita, then we will have killed their strongest—second strongest—fighter." Chihaya grinded her teeth. "…do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." Yayoi looked over at Iori. "Hey, Iori-chan."

"Hey, Yayoi."

"What are we trying to do to them, though? Imprison them?"

"Kill them." Chihaya didn't flinch.

"That's…too cruel," Yayoi whispered. "I don't want to kill."

"As long as they are trying to kill us, we will try to kill them," Chihaya muttered evenly.

Yayoi nodded solemnly.

"However, our goal with the Mondenkind sub-branch is simply to get them on our side. They are not a threat and only attack us because Turiavita forces them."

"Forces…?"

"Those who do not cooperate face torture by either of the torture experts; Dark Chihaya, Riffa, or Karasu."

"Not Dark Makoto-san?"

"Makoto would kill. In a heartbeat, Makoto would kill. No orders required," Chihaya explained.

Yayoi whimpered. "Chihaya-san, I'm scared," she admitted quietly.

"So am I," Chihaya breathed. "So am I."

"Go back and train some more with Miki," Iori demanded. "Chihaya and I have things to discuss."

Yayoi nodded sadly and turned away, wandering back out the door. Touma followed her.

"He's a good guard. Does his job well," Chihaya commented, watching the gruff teenager escort the Shining Prodigy outside.

"All the members of the fighting academies are talented," Iori mumbled. "Admittedly."

"True. We can't all be wizards, but those who aren't make excellent guard-men."

"Or women."

"Right."

Iori glanced at Chihaya's bed. "Should I leave so you can practice some more?"

"Yes, please."

Iori nodded and started on her way out of Chihaya's room as the Frozen Beauty again took a seat on her bed. Iori paused by the door, listening to the sounds of ice crackling behind her and Chihaya's powers froze her bed once more.

"Chihaya?"

"Yes?"

"Don't push yourself," Iori warned. "We need you in top shape. And…not everyone has the Rune Eyes. Dark Makoto just happens to be one of them. You don't."

"I can do this!" Chihaya declared, her voice rising in authority. Iori said nothing; she only sauntered out of the room, closing the door behind her. Chihaya clenched her fists and got back to work.

It was because of this that she failed to notice the low chuckle from behind one of her sculptures of Yuu.

*.*.*.*

Karasu materialized in the Turiavita control room beside Chihaya. While the ordinary person would have jumped or screamed, startled, the Flame Witch only blinked, used to this.

"What did you figure out?"

"You wanna know something interesting, sweetheart?"

Chihaya raised an eyebrow. "Educate me," she ordered.

Karasu smirked and took a seat on the arm of her chair. "Guess what happens if your mortal enemies die."

Chihaya was silent.

"I said guess."

"I hate guessing games."

Karasu laughed. "Alright, alright. If you kill a light copy…"

Chihaya looked at him.

"The dark copy dies."

Chihaya gasped in alarm, jumping to her feet. "What?!"

"You kill the Grand Mage, you'll die too. Guess they wanted us to make a sacrifice."

"That's…not fair!" Chihaya cried, outraged.

There was a soft grunt from the doorway, and both witch and warlock turned to see Makoto, looking somewhat confused.

"Ah, the lovely Ice Queen. You're just in time," Karasu welcomed. "I have interesting news."

"Apparently, if we kill our light copy, their dark copy dies," Chihaya lashed.

Makoto stiffened. "Since WHEN?!"

"Since forever!"

Makoto said nothing, her face looking shocked and bumfuzzled.

Karasu let out a long sigh. "There's good news. Killing the Shadow Mage, the Sun Mage, or the darkness wizard does nothing."

"You were created out of me. Does that mean that if I die, you die?" Chihaya wondered aloud.

Karasu shrugged. "No idea. Try asking again when I have more information," he suggested. "Speaking of…"

"You have a plan?" Chihaya grinned.

"We can't wait for long," Karasu murmured. "The fear is still fresh in the Shining Prodigy's mind. And our Takatsuki Yayoi was never that useful anyways…"

Chihaya chuckled.

"I can handle the Ice Mage. Once you know how to twist her emotions, she's easier to read than a giant billboard three feet away."

"So I'll handle the light wizard," Chihaya mused.

"No." Karasu chuckled lowly. "Makoto will."

Makoto tipped her head.

"She's absolutely terrified of Makoto. Jut her appearance will send chills down Yayoi's spine. Probably literally," Karasu continued. "I think you'd be better off just disposing of the useless ones."

"I don't mind that idea," Chihaya sighed.

"Kill anyone you want," Karasu invited. "Iori, the twins, Takane, Azusa—"

"NO!" Makoto screamed, her eyes narrowed and her body rigid.

Karasu and Chihaya slowly faced her.

Makoto flinched and forced herself to calm down, resuming her indifferent posture before continuing. "…when I joined Turiavita, you promised ME revenge against that woman. If anyone is going to kill her, it's going to be me. End of story."

Chihaya nodded slowly. "You're right," she realized. "Fine. I won't lay a finger on the water wizard."

Makoto seemed relieved.

"You will."

Makoto winced.

"Your next mission," Chihaya began, "is to eliminate the water wizard…and the Stone Witch along with her." There was something evil, something horrible and taunting in Chihaya's voice, like she knew this was a mission Makoto wouldn't be able to complete.

And perhaps she knew it was; there was a piece of Makoto that still cared too deeply for Azusa to hurt her.

But the Ice Witch said nothing in objection—she simply dipped her head and leaned against the wall, accepting her task. Chihaya seemed to relax.

Karasu stretched. "Well…tomorrow night seems like the perfect time for a mass murder. The moon is full, the wizards are relaxed, and I haven't felt blood on my hands in far too long." The Shadow Warlock paused to let his words sink in before standing and heading for his own quarters. Makoto grunted as he walked past and he stopped, leaning in towards her ear. Makoto looked up.

"Within all ice is water…wouldn't you agree, dear Ice Queen?" he murmured. Makoto clenched her fists by her sides.

"Are you trying to mess me up?" she hissed. "I won't fail. I NEVER fail."

"Unless it comes to that woman," Karasu corrected. "Besides, wasn't it failure that landed you here in the first place?"

"I won't fail!" Makoto shot out, her eyes near-gleaming in her fury. Karasu chuckled.

"Poor, poor little Makoto-chan. Afraid for your Onee-chan?"

"Leave me alone!"

"I'll have my eye on you," Karasu whispered into her ear. Makoto growled. "One little slip-up, and you'll be ashes before you can even make a sound. You know how much the mistress hates traitors."

"Would you cut it out?!"

"Did I hit a nerve?" the man purred, tracing his fingers along Makoto's shoulder. Makoto gritted her teeth and stayed silent. "You really are just a softie, huh? A real prodigy."

Makoto resisted the urge to freeze Karasu where he stood. "I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

"Could you? Could you really?"

"Stop playing with her!" Chihaya ordered jealously. "You're far too close to that witch! Now if you're leaving, leave. If not, come back to me where you belong!"

Karasu sighed in exasperation under his breath. "Put me on a leash, why don't you…" he muttered, quiet enough that only Makoto could hear. The Ice Witch smirked.

"If you are right and I can't kill the water wizard, and you tell Chihaya, I'll tell her about your growing boredom."

Karasu laughed. "You learn quickly."

"I'm Kikuchi Makoto, blackmail is in my blood."

"Fine. You have a deal."

"Good."

Their conversation ended, Karasu brushed a bit of hair behind Makoto's ear and shot her a quick wink before vanishing down the hallways. Chihaya growled and started after him, also pausing by Makoto on her way out.

"I'll be retiring for the night," she announced. "Watch the control room. And if I ever see you with my precious Shadow Warlock again, I'll burn you to the ground before you have a chance to breathe."

"Keep him," Makoto muttered. Chihaya huffed.

"I will." She continued walking, following after Karasu. Makoto let out a long, annoyed sigh, and chose a place to sit for the night.

"Honestly," she mumbled under her breath, "these people are almost not worth the revenge they promised."

She paused, looking up at the ceiling, her ice-blue Rune Eyes flashing for just a moment as she remembered the incident that had turned her into such a monster.

"Onee-chan…" She trailed off. "…I'll make you pay for abandoning me."

**(A/N: Is it just me, or do I have one of these for every chapter?**

**Well, I'd like to make a quick point. Obviously, there are no iDOLs in this story, so the important occurrences in Xenoglossia that have to do with them were slightly tampered with. For instance, Dark Chihaya's obsession with Imber has been replaced with an obsession with Karasu. Her parents were killed by rampant powers instead of her mother murdering er father and then she dis later and blaaah. I didn't want to include Del Donna so I didn't. And Dark Azusa's incident while piloting Nebula has been replaced with Dark Makoto's incident while fighting Turiavita, which also explains her betrayal.**

**Plus Chihaya's brother was murdered by Dark Chihaya instead of a car crash since I don't think cars even exist in this world.**

**I'm gonna shut up now.)**


	5. Chapter the Fifth

Chapter the Fifth

Yayoi had gone back to practicing with Miki after her discussion with the Grand Mage. Something bothered her about what she'd been informed, but she wasn't sure if it was the fact that she had to kill or the fact that everyone else was okay with it.

Still, she had also been told that she didn't have to worry about killing yet; this battle was between the mages and Turiavita, specifically.

"Yayoi~, nano."

"Huh?"

"Your light beam thingy. It's kinda dead."

"Ah…" Yayoi glanced up at her hands where there had previously been a stream of light. "…I'm sorry, Miki-san, I'm really trying…"

Miki giggled and sat on the bed. "No problem~," she insisted. "But it's obvious that something's bugging you. Your soul is tainted by some kind of dark emotion and it's messing you up. So, why don't you get it off your chest and talk to Miki?"

Yayoi nodded and sat beside her teacher. "Well, um…it's just that Chihaya-san told me that we're supposed to kill the members of Turiavita."

"No," Miki corrected, "Miki and the other mages are, not you. Not 'us'."  
"Doesn't that bother you?!" Yayoi cried, standing. "Why doesn't that bother you? You have to KILL!"

Miki turned solemn. "Miki never said it didn't bother her," she muttered. "But it's what we have to do. It's survival, Yayoi. It's life."

"It's death!" Yayoi protested.

"It's death that _brings_ life!" Miki responded immediately. "This is a puppy-eat-kitty world. If we don't kill them, they'll kill us."

"It's not fair…!"

"No one ever said it was."

Yayoi remained quiet to ponder things for a minute. In the end, she concluded that Miki was right; it was survival of the fittest out there, and if Yayoi couldn't even focus on her training, she'd never be able to survive. She sighed, bothered.

Miki patted her shoulder, and Yayoi was reminded of the feeling of Karasu's hand on her back a few nights prior. She flinched. "Hey, Yayoi," Miki began. "It's OK to be scared, you know. Everyone's scared. But you need to be able to work past the fear and find the fun in everything. That's how you become a true light wizard."

Yayoi nodded. "…you're right, Miki-san," she admitted finally. "I'm sorry. Please teach me."

"Great!" Miki stood up, grinning. "Now, focus on the fun of using your powers. You're a wizard! Not everyone is a wizard! Take that guard friend of yours, for instance. Touma-kun doesn't have any wizard powers, so he attended a fighting academy and became a guard here with his peers."

"U-uun~! I'm a wizard!"

"Yeah! Now show Miki how super-excited you are to do super-cute sparkly Miki stuff and make a giant ball of sunlight!"

"OK! …How?"

"Here, focus on your light energy like this…"

*.*.*.*

Yayoi sighed and poked at her food with a fork. It was lunchtime at the academy, and the young wizards were all gathered around a table to eat. Yayoi had met Haruka, the earth wizard, Hibiki, the wizard of darkness, and the water wizard Azusa, for the first time. She liked them a lot. In fact, Yayoi was a fan of all the young wizards. Still, she was so tired from her training that she found it hard to gather an appetite.

"You gonna eat that mac-and-cheese, Yayoicchi?" Ami asked, reaching across to take a bite of Yayoi's macaroni-and-cheese. Yayoi poked Ami's hand with her fork.

"Yes, I am," she said. "But you can have my mashed potatoes! It turns out wizard potatoes aren't as tasty as home-grown potatoes."

"I'm sorry," Haruka apologized. "I'm in charge of growing all the vegetables…"

"Wow, really?" Yayoi gasped. "Does every wizard here have a job?"

"Yep! Ami's job is to not burn off people's clothes!" Ami cheered.

"At least not in public," Mami added.

"And my job is to learn how to stop hitting people with doors," Yukiho finished.

"Your job's to train," Hibiki stated. "Mine's to make sure there are no weird critters hidin' in the shadows an' stuff!"

"You know what I think is odd?" Yayoi questioned. "Even though this is a wizard school, there are still normal foods and animals."

"We're just people, Yayoi-chan," Azusa trilled. "Remember that~."

"U-uun…! Right!"

"So, Yayoicchi," Mami began, "Mami heard you met the bad guys the other night."

"Hush!" Hibiki hissed. "Don't remind 'er!"

"No, it's OK," Yayoi assured the black-haired wizard. "I did meet them. They were actually kinda nice. Except Dark Makoto-san, she's terrible."

"The Grand Mage says that Dark Chihaya-chan can burn people to a crisp without lifting a finger," Haruka muttered sadly.

"I once heard Makoto-chan talking about an encounter she had with her dark copy," Yukiho said quietly. "She told me she almost lost an eye."

"Iorin says Dark Chihaya-oneechan can do stuff with her powers that Iorin can't do, even though they're both prodigies with Room Eyes and stuff."

"Rune Eyes."

"Ami doesn't like that."

The wizards sighed.

"Let's change the subject," Haruka suggested. "Yayoi-chan, how are you liking your teacher?"

"I love Miki-san!" Yayoi laughed. "She's really nice and really fun and really funny and really cute and so full of energy!"

Haruka beamed. "That's so wonderful!" she sang. "I like Ritsuko-san, I guess, but she can get pretty scary. Plus she's really strict. Still, she's a good teacher."

"Chihaya-chan is so cute when she's trying to unthaw her bed," Azusa gushed. "She teaches me well, but I like to just watch her at work. She's very good at making ice sculptures~."

"Speaking of ice sculptures…who is that boy Chihaya-san keeps sculpting in her room?" Yayoi questioned.

"That's her little brother, Yuu," Yukiho told Yayoi. "Sh-she says he's back at home now, and she misses him terribly."

"Aren't we allowed to go home?"

"We are," Hibiki responded. "But the mages have to stay here an' protect NamukoAcademy at all times."

"Ah…" Yayoi trailed off. "Well, how do the rest of you like your teachers?"

"Takane's cool an' all, but sometimes she can be really weird," Hibiki muttered. "An' she's creepily addicted to ramen."

"I love training with Makoto-chan," Yukiho sighed wistfully. "We trained under the former Wind Mage together, a mage named Otonashi Kotori-san. When Makoto-chan was strong enough, she took over and Kotori-san became a guard to Chihaya-san. Even though she's new and doesn't know much, she knows exactly what to do to make me understand things. Her teaching style is nice and gentle. It's perfect." Yukiho giggled. "We were already best friends, so learning under her is so much fun…!"

Yayoi grinned. "That's great, Yukiho-san!"

"Ami loves Iorin and all, but she terrifies Ami," Ami admitted.

"Yeah, she's super-harsh and stuff!" Mami complained.

Yayoi giggled. "Still, I think Iori-chan is a great person."

"She is~."

"Hn fu fu, great indeed…"

For the rest of their time, the wizard shared stories and ate their food, stuffed themselves until they couldn't eat another bite, then shared more stories. Yayoi really enjoyed being able to spend time with the others. The wizards were just as kind as the mages they trained under. And besides, spending time with kids at her level would certainly help Yayoi improve. She could learn the best ways to focus on your element and how not to accidentally blind your teacher.

_NamukoAcademy…_ Yayoi thought. _Mom…Dad…I'm sure I'll fit in just fine. Don't you worry._

*.*.*.*

The sound of ice crackling along the walls was masked by the sound of ocean waves coming from the water wizard's room. All Dark Makoto had to do was follow the sound, find the wizard, and kill her. It was a mission just like any other. Just like that mission where she'd been sent into one of the villages to destroy it to punish their growing impatience with Turiavita. Just like that mission Karasu had sent her on to eliminate the scientists working with Turiavita for their aggravation and quiet rebellion. Just a regular, easy-to-complete mission.

Wasn't it?

The Ice Queen pushed that thought to the back of her mind and slid along the walls in near-silence. The water wizard would be asleep. Everyone would be asleep. It was the perfect time to kill her. Doubt had no place here.

There was the noise of quiet, oblivious humming from the older woman's room. Dark Makoto paused just outside the door and listened.

The water wizard was awake, no doubt. There was even some light seeping under the door.

_Whatever, _Makoto thought to herself. _It doesn't matter. I can still kill her._

Slowly, carefully, the young witch relaxed the power in her body, her Rune Eyes glowing to aid her in this usually-impossible task, and melted into a small puddle of water. Easing her way under the crack in the door, Dark Makoto slid along the ground to a small closet, moving inside before re-assembling herself into a proper Ice Witch. Her body now re-formed, she waited to see if she had been spotted before making herself a small knife out of ice.

That was all she needed. She knew Azusa would be too spacey and caring to notice that the bitter girl was there to kill her.

"Oh, my," came the wizard's voice. "I've forgotten my slippers. I can't sleep without slippers, I'll freeze!"

_You're better off freezing naturally. It'll hurt less, _Makoto said in her mind. She remained silent, pressing against the back of the closet in case Azusa opened the door.

"Now where did I put those slippers…ah! They're in the closet~!"

Dark Makoto rolled her eyes and let out a puff of air in annoyance. She gripped the knife in her hand. Oh, well. She could kill Azusa when she opened the door. No hesitation.

_"If we kill our light copy, the dark copy dies."_

Makoto gritted her teeth and gripped the ice knife harder until her fingers were bleeding. She wouldn't let that bother her. Dark Azusa had abandoned her, left her for dead. She deserved to die.

The door to the closet opened smoothly, revealing Azusa's face. Dark Makoto tensed up, still debating whether or not she really wanted to do this.

Azusa looked down on the ground, murmuring to herself, then slowly reached out and parted the clothes in front of her, throwing Dark Makoto into the light. The Ice Witch gasped.

"I know they're in here somewhere…" Azusa trailed off and her eyes locked on Dar Makoto's. "…Makoto-chan?"

Dark Makoto began to tremble slightly, but she forced herself to look her victim in the eyes. Azusa smiled at her—she _smiled_.

"Ah, you're Dark Makoto-chan, right?" she cooed. "What are you doing here so late?"

Makoto said nothing; she just stared at Azusa, memories floating through her head, memories of this same woman back at home, cooking her meals and holding her close whenever she was scared. Memories of Dark Azusa teaching her about the world, about life, about everything. Every memory of Dark Makoto's happier days in her early childhood included Dark Azusa.

And now, she was about to kill her.

Azusa cocked her head. "Makoto-chan?" she whispered, stepping closer. "Are you alright? You look ill. Maybe you should go home and rest." She pressed the back of her hand against the shaking girl's forehead. "Oh my, you're freezing cold. Ah…you're the Ice Witch, though, right? Grand Mage Chihaya-chan talks about you. So then, are you supposed to be so cold?"

_Cold. Unforgiving. Merciless. _Dark Makoto drew in a deep breath through her nose and lifted the knife, still refusing to say a word. Azusa's eyes flicked down to the knife and she slowly removed her hand from Makoto's forehead.

"…Makoto-chan, what are you…"

Dark Makoto narrowed her eyes and snarled, poising the knife so that just a flick of the wrist would slice Azusa's neck from ear to ear. She'd make that woman suffer. She'd make her suffer for abandoning her.

But Azusa didn't even fight back. She just stood there, her face displaying her slight surprise, but not a hint of fear. It was like she knew that Dark Makoto really couldn't kill her.

Azusa cocked her head. "You look awful," she said softly. "…Makoto-chan, are you…crying?"

Dark Makoto hadn't realized it. But after hearing Azusa say the words, she noticed the tears falling down her face, tears that, for maybe the first time in her life, were actually made of water instead of ice.

"_Within all ice is water, wouldn't you agree?"_

She couldn't do it. No matter how much Makoto hated to admit it, she couldn't kill Azusa. She couldn't complete her mission.

"…Makoto-chan—"

"Shut up!"

Azusa blinked, mouth slightly agape as the knife against her throat melted into water and dripped onto the floor. Azusa soaked it up through her bare toes after a moment.

"Just…just shut up! How can you smile at me?!" Dark Makoto demanded, shaking. "How can you just talk to me like nothing is wrong?! I could have killed you!"

Azusa's warm, caring smile returned, and she slowly reached out and cupped the Ice Witch's cheek in her hand. "Because…Makoto-chan really is a kind person after all," she murmured quietly. Makoto made a noise that sounded close to a sob.

"You don't know anything about me," she hissed. "I was sent here to kill you, how about that?! I should kill you right now!"

"But you won't."

"STOP IT!"

Azusa's smile widened and she slowly closed the gap between the two, bringing Dark Makoto in for a hug. "It's OK to be soft every once in a while," she whispered, rubbing Makoto's back. Against her better judgment, the Ice Queen found herself embracing Azusa as well. "Are you lonely, Makoto-chan? Is that why you act like this?"

"I'm fine," Makoto snapped through her teeth, struggling to control her emotions. She should never have let Azusa see this side of her. She should never let anyone see this side of her.

_But it's too late now, so you might as well just stay here with her for a while. It's nice, isn't it? _the softer side of her argued.

"Don't lie to yourself," Azusa breathed, resting her chin atop Dark Makoto's head. "Isn't there an Azusa in your world? You should go talk to her, too. I think—"

"I'm never going back to that woman again," Makoto lashed. She clenched her fists against Azusa's shoulder blades. "…You may have escaped me this time, water wizard, but your friends won't be so lucky. And next time…I WILL kill you." Before Azusa had a chance to argue, Dark Makoto melted against the wall and through to the other side, onwards until she was out of NamukoAcademy. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before taking a deep breath and spreading out two large, intricate wings of ice from her back. She glanced up at the moon.

_Next time, Onee-chan…I _will _kill you._ This thought in mind to ensure that her frozen soul kept her wings from melting, Dark Makoto took off into the night.

Azusa, back inside the school, stared into the spot where Dark Makoto had vanished. She let out a long sigh.

"Poor Makoto-chan," she said to herself. "If only Dark Azusa knew how much that girl loves her…"

*.*.*.*

The crackling of ice alerted Karasu that the faithful Ice Witch had returned. He turned away from the monitor he was stationed at just in time to see her slide through the wall and fold up her wings, which were quickly re-absorbed into her body. Karasu smirked.

"I've been watching the Stone Witch all night, you know," he informed her. "You failed, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Makoto muttered. She sat in a chair beside him and rested her face in her chin, clearly exhausted.

"Couldn't handle a simple water wizard?" Karasu leaned towards her ear. "Or was it something else that stopped you?"

"You're horrible, you know that?" Makoto snapped. She switched hands.

Karasu laughed. "Thank you," he said brightly. Makoto grunted and turned away. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. I'm just teasing you."

Makoto said nothing.

"Hey, we have a deal, alright? And just for you, I'll hold up my end. This will stay between you and me. We'll tell Chihaya that all the Mages were alerted and it caused a scene. A fireball here, an ice spear there, and boom, you have a perfectly good lie all thought-out and presentable."

"…thanks," Makoto mumbled.

"Anything for you, little Ice Queen."

Makoto sighed. "You're watching the control room?"

"I suppose."

"Then I'm going to sleep."

"Alright, goodnight." Karasu turned back to his monitor. "…Makoto."

"What?" Makoto pressed, standing.

"I'll be a good boy and keep things to myself. But you'd better do the same."

Makoto heaved a sigh. "Yeah, whatever. A deal's a deal."

"Good girl."

"Don't even start," Makoto demanded. She cast one last glance over her shoulder and then stalked off down the hallways, Karasu watching until she was out of sight.

He turned back towards the monitor. "Still…" He paused, a devious smirk stretching across his face. "I wonder how happy the mistress will be to learn you lost against a few mages."


	6. Chapter the Sixth

Chapter the Sixth

"You LOST against a few measly mages?!"

"I was caught off-guard," Dark Makoto lied smoothly, her face perfectly neutral. "Besides, you know I'm still weak against fire."

"That won't do." Chihaya tapped her fingers on her leg, aggravated. "You are the Ice Witch! How could you lose against some mages?!"

Makoto rolled her eyes.

The next thing she knew, Chihaya's hand slapped across her face, leaving behind a dull red mark and a sting. Makoto gasped slightly, but she remained silent. There was no need to fight back against her superior yet.

"You b*tch," Chihaya hissed. "How dare you show your face around here after failing your mission."

Makoto didn't flinch. She just stared at the ground over her shoulder, apparently fascinated by it.

"Look me in the eyes!"

The girl slowly turned. _You're the b*tch, you know._

Chihaya began pacing. "First that light wizard shows up, now my best assassin can't even carry out a simple task…"

"You have to cut her some slack," Karasu cut in, busily typing at the main computer. "You know the Flame Mage has Rune Eyes too. Makoto's element is naturally weaker than hers."

Chihaya stopped and stayed still for a moment. Makoto watched her, beginning to relax. Karasu stopped talking, his work done.

And then Chihaya whirled towards Makoto and shot a huge fireball directly at her. Makoto screamed involuntarily and swerved out of the way just in time for the flame to fly right past her. Karasu jumped to his feet.

"Block it!" Chihaya barked. She re-absorbed her fireball before it could set the place ablaze and released it in the form of a stream of flame. Makoto quickly recovered and drew up an ice shield. The shield melted in an instant. Makoto immediately covered her body in a thick layer of ice while she strategized. Chihaya only stared at her blankly, her hand out.

"What are you doing, Chihaya?!" Karasu snapped, sounding angry for probably the first time since Makoto had known him. "Stop attacking her! If we're going to win this fight, we need Makoto ALIVE."

"Is that really why you're saying that?!" Chihaya lashed back. "We would be better off if she were dead! If she were dead, you and I could be together without interruptions!"

"What interruptions?!"

"You know exactly what I mean! Now Makoto, draw up a shield! Stop the flames! If you can't even do that simple task, why should I let you live?!"

Makoto didn't move, only panted excessively, her body heat rising steadily beneath the warmth of the flames. She gritted her teeth and drew up another shield. Chihaya stopped her flames and sent out another fireball.

"Contain it!" she ordered. "Do it or I'll kill you!"

Karasu growled. "Chihaya! Stop this right now!"

"Shut up!" Chihaya cried, her Rune Eyes glowing. The fireball expanded until it was practically a vortex of flame. Makoto stared at it and expanded her shield to catch stray embers.

_…contain it, you said…_

Taking a deep breath, the Ice Witch spread her powers around the entire perimeter of her enemy's attack. Chihaya growled and increased her power. Makoto grunted. Slowly, focusing immensely, the icy-eyed girl began to force her powers inward, forcing them to overpower Chihaya's flames. Chihaya screamed in rage and pressed back.

_Contain it. No…use it. Use it._

Makoto's mind whispered encouragement by reminding her of all the things she'd had to endure.

She remembered the attack she'd tried to fend off.

She remembered her Onee-chan's betrayal.

She remembered how the other Mondenkind children avoided her just because she was an ice prodigy.

She looked down at her abdomen for just a second and remembered her first failed mission. Chihaya had been so furious that she'd burned the young new witch almost straight through. Makoto had been in agony for weeks, slowly nursed to full health by Karasu. She'd vowed she would never fail another mission.

Chihaya was unfair about things like that. Everyone was unfair. The _world_ was unfair.

It was only when Makoto looked back up at the clash of abilities that she noticed that Chihaya's fire was blue. It had been completely overtaken by Makoto's ice.

_No. Not completely. Not yet._

Her Rune Eyes glowed bright blue, and the Ice Witch lowered both hands, choosing to use only the frozenness of her heart and her steely mind to complete her task. She focused on the fire in the center of her ice crystal, focused on the way it danced within its prison, and wished with all her soul to wipe it from existence. She stared for a while, until the flame stopped moving completely and became a part of the ice itself. Chihaya screamed, a sort of anguished fury resonating through the air. Makoto waited a few more minutes before absorbing in what was now a giant iceberg. She let out a puff of visible air and let her Rune Eyes fade back to their original, non-glowing state. Chihaya glared daggers at her from afar, while Karasu offered her a light smirk. Makoto breathed deeply, suddenly very tired.

"…You said to contain it," she said quietly.

"How…how did you do that?" Chihaya growled.

Makoto shrugged. "I'm tired."

"What…?!"

"I said, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." With that, the Ice Queen spun on her heels and walked right back down the hallways, Chihaya's screeches of disbelief echoing behind her.

*.*.*.*

The Ice Mage stared down at her waterbed, watching the bubbles float around beneath the surface. She loved that bed, always had; all of the Grand Mages had owned it. Chihaya remembered wanting to become the Grand Mage just so she could own the bed. Yuu had wanted it too.

Yayoi was with her again. Chihaya didn't mind; actually, she was quite fond of the little ginger-haired wizard. And besides, Chihaya had summoned Yayoi today. This visit was something all wizards had to do periodically. Every two weeks, they came in to show Chihaya any new skills they'd learned. This would be Yayoi's first time.

Chihaya nodded at Yayoi to show that she was to begin. Yayoi nodded back, seeming nervous.

"Relax," Chihaya advised. "I'm not judging you. I just want to see what you have learned thus far in your training."

Yayoi seemed to loosen up. "U-uun…! Right! Chihaya-san, I won't let you down!" she cheered. Chihaya smiled at her slightly. Yayoi raised her hands and prepared herself.

While the Grand Mage watched, the light wizard produced a long stream of light, fired at one of the stained glass windows in Chihaya's room. She focused on the light and sent it through the window before turning it around and brining it back through in the other direction. Yayoi expanded her beam of light to catch the whole window, then brought the rest of it through. The trick caused the design on the window to be cast onto the floor. Chihaya gazed at it and realized for the first time how beautiful it was.

"Good," she praised. "It took our first light wizard years to master that trick."

"Miki-san?" Yayoi gasped.

"Miki is a prodigy. No, I meant the wizard before the two of you. The Sun Mage Miki trained under."

"There were wizards before us?" Yayoi now crafted a small orb out of her light and spread it outwards until it was so big and so bright that Chihaya had to shield her eyes.

"Yes," the bluenette mage answered. "However, this batch of wizards and mages is the most powerful.

"Ah." Yayoi made a shield out of her light. "Chihaya-san, I can make a shield."

"Good. You'll need it."

"CHIHAYA!"

The door burst open with a gust of wind. Chihaya jumped to her feet to receive her guest, a frazzled-looking Wind Mage by the name of Kikuchi Makoto.

Yayoi instantly dropped her light and spun around. Makoto zoomed in, skidded to a stop in front of Yayoi, and offered a quick bow.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said quickly. "Bad news, Chihaya. Really, really bad news."

Chihaya seemed stiff. "Don't tell me you had another vision."

"Vision?" Yayoi cocked her head.

"All mages have them sometimes, but Makoto's seem the most frequent," Chihaya murmured. "They show us a glimpse of what our parallel selves are up to. We use them to check in on Turiavita."

"It's like Dark Makoto WANTS me to know what she's up to," Makoto muttered. "Alright, you will never guess what she did this morning."

Chihaya's face seemed grave. "Tell me."

"She sparred with Chihaya."

"And?"

"She won."

Chihaya only seemed slightly surprised.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "Chihaya, you don't understand. It's not the fact that she won, it's how she did it."

"Tell me how, then!" Chihaya ordered, sounding impatient.

"She turned Dark Chihaya's fire into ice."

"What?!" Chihaya seemed shocked now. Yayoi was sure she was the same.

"You heard me!" Makoto snapped back. "I 'watched' from the sidelines. She just swallowed Chihaya's flames in a covering of ice and forced her powers in until the entire thing was a giant iceberg. It's a Rune Eyes ability."

"Of course it is," Chihaya mumbled. "Are you positive that what you saw was a vision and not just a bad dream?"

"If it was just a bad dream, I wouldn't have a headache right now and my ears wouldn't have been ringing." Makoto paused. "You know what else?"

"There's more?!"

"Karasu really is super hot up close." Makoto giggled in a way that reminded Yayoi of a real teenaged girl.

Chihaya just stared at her, un-amused.

"…sorry."

Chihaya rolled her eyes. "Any new information?"

Makoto seemed to be thinking. "…well—"

"Chihaya-chan…-sensei, I have news~" Azusa suddenly appeared at the doorway, a smile on her face. She waved.

Chihaya rubbed her temples and sat on the bed. "Is it good?" she asked.

"I think so…" Azusa slid in slowly, thanked the guards for letting her in, and approached the trio that was already inside. "I wanted you to know that last night, I was attacked by Dark Makoto-chan."

"That girl's everywhere, huh?" Makoto muttered.

"Are you alright?" Chihaya gasped.

Azusa's smile seemed grim. She looked over at one of Chihaya's ice sculptures. "Actually, that's what I wanted to tell you. Yes, I perfectly fine. In fact, she didn't even touch me."

"What…?"

"We just hugged and I let her cry to me. It was a nice conversation."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dark Makoto-san is capable of crying?" Yayoi confirmed, tipping her head.

"Tears of blood, maybe," Makoto said under her breath. Chihaya kicked her shin. "Ow! That hurt!"

Chihaya just shot her a glare. Makoto understood and dipped her head in apology.

Azusa frowned for the first time in probably forever. "It was…strange," she sighed. "I found her in my closet and said hello. Then she started to attack me, but…she stopped. She melted her weapon, yelled at me for not hurting her, and then she left."

"That was it?" Chihaya mumbled. She looked down at her hands.

"That's odd," Makoto began, "in my vision she said her mission was interrupted by us mages."

"Any she mentioned specifically?"

"Iori."

Chihaya nodded. "Makoto, you're the fastest. Go fetch the Flame Mage."

"On it." Makoto saluted and sped out the door to get Iori.

Chihaya looked over at Yayoi. "Takatsuki-san, you are free to go. This is a meeting between mages."

"Am I allowed to stay?" Yayoi asked.

Chihaya blinked. "Well, I suppose," she decided. "Sit on the bed, keep quiet, and don't touch anything."

Yayoi nodded and followed Chihaya's orders. They waited a few more seconds before Makoto flew back into the room, carrying Iori over her shoulder. Iori screeched and wailed.

"Would you shut up?!" Makoto lashed. "Geez! I'm not the one that called for you, anyways…"

"Put me down!" Iori ordered. "I refuse to be carried by a weakling like you! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Shut up already!" Makoto cried. She placed Iori on the ground (or rather, dropped her on the ground). Iori squeaked and stood up, brushing herself off. Yayoi waved at her and Iori waved back.

"You'd better have a good reason for this, Chihaya! I was in the middle of a training session!"

"Where were you last night?" Chihaya didn't bother with greetings.

"Are you accusing me of something?!"

"Answer!"

Iori frowned. "Why, I was sleeping, of course!" she announced. "Why do you ask?"

"Azusa-san says there was an attack last night. Makoto says you stopped it."

"I didn't know there was an attack."

"Then it was a lie," Makoto decided. "A cover-up she and Karasu devised so that Dark Makoto's soft side wouldn't be revealed. She knew that she couldn't kill Azusa because—"

"Because she loves Dark Azusa too much," Azusa finished. "That explanation would get her in trouble, so…"

"She decided to make up a lie about getting intercepted by mages." Chihaya stood up as though to finalize this. "Although we know she is getting stronger, we also know she has a weakness. Alright, everyone, back to your rooms. There will be time for strategizing later. For now, just practice. Ah…Azusa-san, stay here. We'll train."

"Yes, Chihaya-chan…-sensei."

Yayoi stood up and bowed to Chihaya. "Chihaya-san, I'm going to go back now."

"Yes. You're excused."

After another quick bow, the light wizard exited her superior's room, Iori and Makoto following behind her. Chihaya watched them go and sighed.

"Azusa-san, let's get to work."


	7. Chapter the Seventh

Chapter the Seventh

Karasu yawned. "It's late, you know."

"Yeah." Chihaya leaned against his shoulder. "I can't sleep."

"It's no use being angry about Makoto's abilities."

"I have the Rune Eyes too! Why couldn't I fight her off?!"

"Fire is made to destroy. Ice is made to cover. There's a reason the two elements are so against each other."

Chihaya grunted. "It makes me mad," she muttered. She glanced down at her hand, clamped tightly around Karasu's. He rubbed her palm gently. "…tell me something."

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Call me Chihaya." The Flame Witch looked up at a monitor, tuned in to the camera that showed Makoto's quarters. The Ice Witch was sound asleep.

"Yes, Chihaya?"

"…why did you defend her?"

"What?"

"When we sparred, you offered me no encouragement, but that girl…" Chihaya gritted her teeth. "Why did you defend her?"

"Because she's more powerful than you." Karasu glanced over at his mate, face perfectly neutral. "You've seen it. Admit it; without her, we could never beat the light wizards."

"You doubt my strength?!"

"I don't doubt your strength, I just understand hers."

Chihaya growled. "I hate it when you talk like that," she said under her breath. "I hate it when you think of anyone other than me. I hate it."

"You're always so jealous," Karasu sighed. "Relax, Chihaya. You know I was made for you."

"But is that the only reason why you're so loyal? I see how you are with the others. Even the ones in Mondenkind; just last week you were flirting up a storm with that Stone Witch! I saw it!"

"I'm known for deceiving people into thinking I care." Karasu smirked. "But I assure you, with you it's no scam."

"And with the others?"

"Just a game. You know I love games."

Chihaya was silent for a moment.

Karasu looked over at her. "Chihaya?"

Chihaya faced him back. "…I'm fine," she muttered.

Karasu offered a smile. "You're a horrible liar, you know. I think I could give you lessons."

"Ha, ha." Chihaya sighed. "…tell me you love me."

"I love you."

"Like you mean it!"

Karasu's face grew serious. He cupped Chihaya's cheek in his hand gently. The Flame Witch leaned into his hand, smiling. "I love you," he repeated. Chihaya lurched in and pressed her lips firmly against his, not caring if she fell out of her chair in the process. Karasu allowed only a moment of pause before sliding his arms around her and kissing her back.

"You're certainly anxious tonight," he murmured upon pulling back.

"Even the Grand Witch gets lonely sometimes," Chihaya whispered back. "Now close the curtain. I don't need any unwanted attention."

"As you wish, Chihaya." Karasu's shadows covered the duo from outside interference, as the blue-haired witch slowly leaned in again.

*.*.*.*

Yayoi stared at the ceiling. "I can't sleep," she announced to no one in particular.

"I can see that." Takane was suddenly revealed from the shadows of Yayoi's darkened room. Yayoi jumped, surprised, but she relaxed when she realized it was Takane. Takane smiled and took a seat on Yayoi's bed. "Is something the matter?"

"I just…have this weird feeling," Yayoi admitted. "…Takane-san, could you tell me a story?"

"Certainly," Takane agreed. "Hm…how about this? Once upon a time, in a village near the prestigious wizard school known as NamukoAcademy, a young girl was born to two loving parents. She was told she was a prodigy, destined to become a great wizard…but because of her abilities, she often frightened the other children." Takane's face became solemn. Yayoi sat up in her bed and leaned against the bedframe, listening.

"Despite her loneliness, the girl continued to practice her wizard powers until she was one day noticed and brought to the academy to further her abilities. While there, she met some people…people who promised to accept her and love her no matter what. These people became the most important people in the world to the young girl."

"Who were these people?" Yayoi asked.

Takane smiled at her. "It's a secret," she answered in a hushed tone. Yayoi smiled back. She had been warned about this aspect of Takane's personality, after all.

Takane's wide smile faded slightly. "…but the time came when a vicious enemy launched their first attack on NamukoAcademy. The girl used the powers she had, the shadow abilities she alone could use, to fight them off, but…it was not enough. The people she had come to love were hurt. They were in danger. And so the young girl had a choice to make…"

Yayoi leaned forward in her bed. Takane frowned and looked out Yayoi's window at the moon.

"…She could show the true extent of her powers. She could provide nightmares, horrible, dark creatures from the depth of the night. She could scare the enemy away—and her friends, as well—or she could do nothing and allow the enemy to kill them all. Summoning her courage and her dull anger at these people for threatening the peace she'd come to love, she unleashed her full potential. She scared the enemy away, and was able to defend her precious friends. She was afraid that they would reject her, but instead she received praise for her work. The young girl was ecstatic and promised to never again doubt the loyalty of her dear friends. The end."

"That was a nice story," Yayoi said. She thought for a moment. "…was it about you? Are you the young girl in the story?"

Takane's smile returned and she giggled that light, fluffy giggle that Yayoi still thought should belong to someone else. "That, dear Shining Prodigy, is a secret," she responded. She stood. "It could be me, it could be Hibiki, it could be the Shadow Mage before me…why, it could be a completely fabricated story about no one in particular. The possibilities are endless."

"Well, if it was about you…" Yayoi paused and grinned. "I think you're an amazing person, Takane-san."

Takane turned towards her and patted her head. "And I think you are an amazing young girl," she murmured. "Sleep well, Takatsuki Yayoi. And remember that as long as you have friends who will protect you no matter what, there is no way you can lose."

Yayoi beamed. "Yes, thank you!"

"No…thank you." Takane dipped her head and moved towards the door. Yayoi waved at her. Takane waved back before sliding out into the hallways.

Yayoi lay back down and got comfortable in her bed. After Takane's story and her quick pep talk, sleep came easier than ever.


	8. Chapter the Eighth

**(A/N: OK, so, I have a favor to ask you guys.**

**You don't have to, but I kinda think it's cool to listen to one of three songs while you read the feelsy Dark Makoto/Yayoi conversation after the third set of "*.*.*.*". **

**"To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X (It's a little too sad for the mood of the conversation, but it's pretty!)**

**"Ai to Shuu" from Naruto (Again, a little too sad, but I love it.)**

**"July" by Kat Spencer (Search for "Sad Piano Song-July". I think this one suits the mood best, but it's not as long as the oher two and not quite as pretty.)**

**Pick whichever one you like, but I just personally think it's kinda like an OST in an anime. It's kinda cool.**

**...I'msorryjustignoreeverything ;-;)**

Chapter the Eighth

"I seem to remember you saying this attack would happen tomorrow night."

"That's too far away."

"That statement was about three nights ago."

"Well, between Makoto's mission, your loneliness, and my job, we just didn't have the time. Now keep it down, Grand Witch. We're nearing the academy."

There was a grunt. "You two are really heavy."

"It's not our fault you're the only one of us who can fly."

"Doesn't Kisaragi have flame?"

"Duh."

"You should be able to use rocket boots or whatever." Another grunt. "I'm dropping you in a few minutes."

"How close are we, dear Ice Queen?"

"Don't call her that!"

"Right, my apologies."

"We're about half a mile away. You can walk the rest of the way there."

"I hate walking."

"You hate everything."

"I don't hate you."

"I'm not a thing."

"Technically speaking you are, since you're a created being out of a created being. That makes you a double thing."

"Would both of you shut up?!"

"How dare you talk to me like that?!"

"Be quiet!"

The trio of bickering witches (technically two witches and a warlock) landed safely outside the back gate of NamukoAcademy. Makoto folded her ice wings up and absorbed them into her body, panting slightly. She rolled her shoulders.

"You're lucky your hands didn't slip," she sighed. "We have a plan?"

"Sure; go in there and wing it," Karasu whispered.

"That's a horrible plan," Chihaya snapped quietly.

"We're evil geniuses, what's the worst that can happen?" Karasu sighed. "Makoto, go back and get Riffa and Yukiho. I want all of Turiavita here."

Makoto groaned in annoyance and brought out her wings again. "Honest, why can't any of you learn to fly? I don't want to be your errand girl forever…"

Karasu and Chihaya watched her take off. Chihaya frowned and started towards the gate.

"Let's go."

Karasu grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Not yet," he murmured. "Wait for everyone."

"That'll take too long!"

"The later, the better. It takes some people particularly long to get to sleep."

Chihaya grunted in annoyance. "I'm the leader here. I should make the decisions."

"Officially speaking, yes." Karasu tilted his head and smirked. "But when it comes to strategizing, you kinda suck."

Chihaya hissed at him.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry."

The two of them waited together for a while, hidden behind a clump of boulders at Namuko Academy's left side. If anyone came too close, Chihaya burned them alive while Karasu hid the sight (and the sounds) with his shadows. Finally, Makoto landed on the island with Riffa and Dark Yukiho, then folded her wings back and drew them in. The two new arrivals ran instantly to their co-leaders.

"Chihaya-chan!" Riffa squeaked. "It's been so long since we worked together, huh? When was the last time…was it that attack on Mondenkind?"

Makoto flinched.

"Oh, that was so fun! I remember the screams of the people…"

The Ice Witch growled and lifted her fist as though she would try to punch Riffa. Yukiho slid between them to prevent violence.

"Hey, hey. Karasu. Chihaya-chan. Are we gonna do something like that again? Ooh, ooh! What if we buried the other Chihaya-chan in ice like we did with Makoto-chan?"

Makoto growled louder. "Shut UP!" she shouted, forgetting they were supposed to be quiet.

"Shh!" Karasu hissed.

"Makoto-chan is angry with me~…" Riffa giggled innocently.

"Silence, all of you!" Chihaya lashed. She looked at Yukiho. "Yukiho, come with me. We'll get rid of the useless ones together."

"Yes, Chihaya-san!" Yukiho agreed immediately.

"We can handle the west. Riffa, go to the east. And Karasu will go after the Ice Mage."

"Makoto, handle the light wizard, alright?" Karasu pressed. Makoto clenched her fists.

"…right."

"Good. Now come on, we'll need to hurry. Dawn is fast approaching and we want to have the bodies in the ocean by sunrise," Karasu ordered. The others nodded and scurried off. The Shadow Warlock pretended to follow, then backed up and paused with Makoto. The sound of quiet sniffles told him she was crying at least a bit.

"Leave me alone." Makoto reached up and flicked the tears of ice off her face.

"Glad you see you're at least crying tears of ice again," Karasu stated. "She did you a favor, you know."

"Reminding me of my past is not a favor! Now leave me alone!" Makoto yelled. Karasu put his hand over her mouth and dragged her behind the boulders quickly. Makoto let him.

A few guards looked over and started over to investigate. Karasu cursed under his breath.

"One order. I give you one order to shut up, and you can't even do that?" he muttered. "I'll cover the scene of the crime, you get rid of them."

Makoto yanked his hand off her mouth and stalked over to the edge of the boulders, waiting for her targets to come a bit closer. "Don't tell me what to do, alright?!"

"You're just touchy because I saw you cry." Karasu peeked over the top of the tumble of rocks, slowly advancing his shadows out to hide the battlefield. "They're almost here."

"I wasn't crying," Makoto insisted. She drew in a long breath through her nose.

"Right, because when little frozen teardrops fall out of your eyes, that's called 'having a celebration'."

"Were you born this obnoxious?"

"Chihaya's technically my mother, what do you expect?"

"Incestuous jerk."

"Cold-hearted witch."

The guards were only a few feet away from the boulders now. Makoto didn't flinch as she summoned pillars of ice through the ground that caught the guards by surprise. There were screams of agony as the spear-like pillars stabbed through every important organ the unfortunate guards had. When the screams died down, Makoto drew back the ice. She walked out from behind the rocks, Karasu following.

"Nice work," he praised, scooping a bit of blood off one of the guard's bodies with his finger. "We should get inside."

"Explain to me something."

Karasu nodded. "What?"

"Why do you think that girl was helping me?"

"The more you think about your bitter past, the more spiteful you become, ad the stronger you get," Karasu answered instantly. "It was a strategy to help you, if you think about it."

"Did you stay behind just so you could pick on me?"

"Pretty much. Come on, we have to hurry inside. Leave the bodies here, no one will care."

Giving a small grunt as her permission for Karasu to advance ahead alone, Makoto slowly wandered off towards the academy building, taking her time. She had no need to rush.

*.*.*.*

Dark Chihaya beckoned her partner to follow her closely, pausing outside the room of Ganaha Hibiki, the wizard of darkness. Yukiho followed her with a nod.

"We enter silently. You, use your air to keep the place free from her shadows. You're in charge of defense, and I'll handle the killing," Chihaya said quietly.

"I will gladly protect you, Chihaya-san," Yukiho whispered back. "Just tell me what to do."

"On three, we open the door. Quietly," Chihaya added.

"Yes, Chihaya-san."

"One…"

Yukiho lifted her hands in preparation.

"Two…" Chihaya placed her hand on the door handle. "Three." She slid it open, Yukiho causing a small stir of wind to mask the sound of the creaking door. Hibiki muttered something in her sleep and rolled over.

Slowly, the two Turiavita recruits stepped inside and closed the door behind them, sneaking over to the side of Hibiki's bed. Chihaya made a ball of flame in her left hand and moved it towards Hibiki's face.

The sudden light made the wizard snort and sit up. She glanced around groggily until she spotted the witches in her room, and her expression went from half-asleep to utterly flabbergasted.

"What're ya doin' here?!" the darkness wizard demanded, scrambling out of bed.

Chihaya grinned maniacally. "Don't scream," she purred. "If you make a sound, I'll burn you alive. Not that I wouldn't do it anyways."

Hibiki gulped. "…Ya won't get away with this."

"Won't we?" Chihaya sighed. She grinned wider and flung her fireball at Hibiki's chest. Hibiki quickly ducked, which proved to be a horrible idea since the flames set her room ablaze. Hibiki cursed wildly and spread her shadows over the fire in hopes the darkness would squash out the light and put out the wild inferno. It didn't work.

The two witches advanced, Dark Chihaya giggling insanely and Dark Yukiho looking strained, yet determined. Hibiki whimpered.

*.*.*.*

The Ice Mage shifted on her waterbed, trying to get to sleep. But her head hurt, and her body felt weak. There was something about worrying that did those things to her. Still, she knew how important staying rested was. Just one small slip-up and the enemy would get the other hand. Yet despite her best efforts, Chihaya just couldn't sleep. She rolled onto her back and let out a loud, exasperated sigh.

"Can't get to sleep, Ice Mage?"

The masculine voice took Chihaya by surprise. She shot up, looking around for a sign that would show her who (or where) this person was. "Who are you?" she called.

"Has it really been that long?" the voice complained. "I thought you would recognize my voice, or at least my methods. A good spy never reveals themselves, anyways."

"Who are you?" Chihaya repeated, louder.

"I was hoping to just kill you in your sleep and be done with it. But now that you're awake, I guess I can afford to play around a little. Tell me, when was the last time you checked in on us? I missed you."

Chihaya winced. "…The Shadow Warlock, Karasu. Phantom Sadist of Turiavita. It's been a while since you showed your face here."

"Yes, I think the last time was…sometime five years ago, correct?"

"What do you want?"

"There are a lot of things I want," Karasu's voice echoed. "For one, I'd like world domination, but that's a bit cliché. So I'll settle with, 'your blood running through my fingers'. Good enough?"

Chihaya quickly reached out with a hand of ice and switched on her lamp, hoping to throw the mysterious "gentleman" into the light. But when the Grand Mage looked around, she still saw no one. "Stop hiding," she ordered briskly. "If you want to face me, fight me like a man instead of a coward."

"Chihaya, Chihaya, Chihaya. My dear Ice Mage," Karasu purred. "Have you forgotten my style already? You know I prefer to stay hidden during fights."

"Coward!"

"Genius is more correct." Shadows began seeping into Chihaya's room from all directions until the whole room was covered in darkness once again. Chihaya let out a small hiss.

"You know I am the more powerful of the two of us," she said calmly.

"You can only kill what you can see, don't you agree?" Karasu replied smoothly. "Besides, I have wyas of making you forget you even have abilities."

"What ways?"

"Manipulation. Deceit. Fear. You know them all, don't you?"

"I'm sick of your mind games!" Chihaya shouted. "I'll alert the guards! I'll get Miki-san in here! I'll expose you once and for all!"

"You really think you can? A weak little mage that can't even turn ice into water?"

Chihaya winced again. "…I'm not listening to you," she insisted, sprouting claws of ice from her fingertips.

"How rude," Karasu near-pouted, his voice sounding like it as coming from all directions. Chihaya's eyes scanned the area, trying to pick up any signs of movement in this darkness. "Don't you know how much I love conversations?"

"I refuse to converse with someone like you," Chihaya muttered. "…the others…where are the others?!"

"Hm…Yukiho and the Mistress are going on a random killing spree on the west side of the castle, Riffa is on the east side, and Makoto is with the light wizard."

"Takatsuki-san…!" Chihaya gasped.

"Do you value her life?" Karasu murmured. "Just like you valued the life of your younger brother?"

Chihaya drew in a sharp breath. She slowly dropped her hands. "…don't, please…"

"That girl reminds you of him, doesn't she?" Karasu continued, paying no heed to Chihaya's pleas. "She really looks up to you, you know. Just like he did. I wonder how disappointed she'll be when she learns you've let her down…"

"Stop this…!"

"Does it hurt? You hate to think about it, huh?" Karasu chuckled darkly. "A shame, really. I have the most fun when you suffer like this."

"Takatsuki-san is strong," Chihaya asserted, her voice wavering. "She will not be destroyed. She is a prodigy. She'll survive."

When Karasu spoke again, it sounded like he was right by Chihaya's right ear. "Makoto could kill you in seconds," he whispered. Chihaya stiffened. "How much easier must it be for her to kill an innocent, naïve little light wizard?"

"Leave Takatsuki-san out of this!" Chihaya demanded. "She's just a little girl!"

"So are you, at heart," Karasu stated. "Just a weak, frightened little girl. Just like you were when your brother was burned alive."

"Stop it! Please, just stop it!"

"I have an offer for you."

Chihaya buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "…go home."

"How cute, you think words will chase me away…"

"Go home!"

"Where's your power? I'm surprised, Chihaya-chan. I thought you were the Grand Mage for a reason."

"GO HOME!"

"Listen."

Chihaya collapsed onto her bed and curled into a ball. "…what do you want?"

Karasu smirked from the shadows. "Here's my offer…Grand Mage."

Chihaya sniffled.

*.*.*.*

The sound of crackling ice did nothing to wake the young light wizard as she lay in her bed, wrapped up in a peaceful slumber. Dark Makoto was glad of that; it meant she could do her dirty work and get out before Yayoi even woke up. Still, today Makoto felt particularly alone, and she almost wished to have a small conversation with Yayoi before she killed her. Yayoi was a fine conversationalist, she'd heard.

The light wizard stirred as Dark Makoto drew nearer and shivered when the Ice Witch crafted herself an ice blade.

Makoto tapped the blade of her sword on her hand, swung it around a couple times, and then finally stopped in front of Yayoi's bed. She positioned her sword at Yayoi's neck, then lifted it. She was right about to bring the blade crashing down when her target stirred and blinked open her eyes. Makoto hissed.

"…Chihaya-san…?"

Makoto slowly lowered her sword, confused.

"…it's cold in here. Is that you, Chihaya-san?"

Makoto was silent.

"Oh, I had the most amazing dream. You were there, and so were Miki-san, Iori-chan, and Takane-san. And in my dream, we were all sitting together in a little field of flowers, talking to each other about whatever we wanted to. There was no Turiavita, and no training, and no fear. We were just sitting, and chatting. It was nice."

Makoto lowered her weapon and found herself taking a seat on Yayoi's bed. The young light wizard giggled, apparently still unaware that it was actually Dark Makoto she was talking to. The Ice Witch was glad Yayoi's back was facing her.

"Do you want to know what we talked about?" Yayoi asked. "It's my favorite topic."

Makoto said nothing.

"Family."

The Ice Queen gasped slightly and tilted her head towards Yayoi's ceiling. She remained silent, allowing her ice sword to melt away. Yayoi shifted in the bed.

"We talked about my family back home, all my little siblings, and how great it was to be an older sister. And we talked about your little brother and how much you must miss him. And we talked about Iori-chan's older brothers, and Miki-san's big sister, and Takane-san's parents," Yayoi went on obliviously. "And it was so great, because we got to talk about the perks of having a family. But you know what?"

Makoto glanced down at her lap and waited.

"I think of all the positions in a family, the older sister has the best deal."

Makoto felt a tear of ice plink from her eye. She made a choked sound and quickly wiped her eyes. _…Onee-chan…_

"Because she gets to be like a mother, protecting her little siblings. And she can smile and laugh about how cute they are. You know, I don't think there's a single big sister out there that doesn't love her siblings." Yayoi sat up now and looked directly at Makoto. Makoto didn't notice. "Even if they get mad and scold them sometimes, they still love those people. Because those people are precious to them. They're people who can never be replaced. They're people who are deeply loved by those who look after them. And those kinds of feelings will never change."

Makoto buried her face in her hands and brought her knees to her face. She began to sob, her tears becoming more and more liquid with every passing moment.

Yayoi moved towards her and placed her hands on Dark Makoto's shoulders, then leaned in and rested against her arm. "I believe that," she breathed. "I believe that once you fall in love with a person, you can't ever stop. I believe that the second you decide you want to take care of someone, you commit yourself to them of the rest of your life."

"Shut up…" Makoto whispered.

"I don't think you're evil, you know." Yayoi smiled kindly, her eyes closed. She snuggled against Makoto's body. The older girl began to shake. "I think you're just lonely."

"You don't know anything," Makoto insisted. "None of you know anything."

"But I think I do," Yayoi said quietly. "Did you come in here to kill me?"

Makoto was silent, aside from her crying.

"I'm not dead yet. It's because you're still a very kind person, is what I say."

"What do you know…"

"I know the feelings that a big sister has for her little siblings," Yayoi answered. "I mean, I have five of them."

Makoto looked up at the ceiling. "Do you really believe stuff like that?"

"Yeah. I do."

"…once someone loses interest in another person, they'll abandon them forever. That's the way humans are. Their affections never last. One day they're telling you over and over how much they love you, and how they'll never let you go, and how no one in the world is more beautiful than you, and then the next day they just leave you all alone…" Makoto trailed off. "I…I hate thinking about her. I hate being reminded of that day."

"I think it's because you still love her," Yayoi continued. "You never stopped. And I don't think she ever stopped either." Yayoi looked up at the same spot Makoto was staring at. "Do you think you can understand the feelings a big sister has for her little sister? I really believe that she did everything she could that day. I think she was just as hurt as you were when you pushed her away. I'm sure she was trying her hardest, because she loves you. She left you in charge of that dangerous thing because she trusted you and she believed in you. If you think about it…you're the one that abandoned her by pushing her away."

Makoto gasped and felt her eyes widen. "…you don't know anything," she said firmly, but with every word Yayoi spoke, her heart melted more and more.

_…what's…happening to me…?_

Yayoi giggled slightly. She scooted closer and moved her arms around the Ice Witch, leaning her head against her enemy's shoulder. "But I do," she corrected. "Chihaya-san told me all about your story. And being an older sister myself, I know your onee-chan was just trying to make you strong. Maybe she did it on purpose. Maybe she thought that if she could give you a reason to be bitter and hateful, then you would get really, really strong."

Makoto was quiet. Slowly, she unfolded her knees and put her feet back on the floor. She didn't stand.

"See?" Yayoi giggled again. "You're not evil. You're just misunderstood. The others don't understand, but I do."

"I thought you were just some naïve little brat," Makoto muttered. "How do I know you really feel this way? Why should I trust you?"

"Because…I trust you."

"Why?" Makoto felt herself calming down, losing the desire to fight, all because of a little Shining Prodigy who knew just what to say to penetrate the darkness within people's very souls.

Yayoi sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe it's because I know you're not a bad person. I don't think any of you are bad people, not even Dark Chihaya-san. After all, her original goal was to bring her parents back to life." She smiled. "Everybody has someone in their life who they love a lot. And once you've met that person, you never really stop loving them. None of you are bad people, you've just been hurt by people you love. Or maybe it's because you love them so much that you've decided to do the bad stuff you do."

"How do you know that?" Makoto asked.

"I don't." Yayoi laughed. "I'm taking a guess."

Makoto fell silent. The two girls sat together, saying nothing, just being near one another and sharing warmth (if Dark Makoto even had any warmth left in her). At last, the Ice Witch rose to her feet. Yayoi released her as she stood. Makoto simply stood still for a few minutes before turning around and facing Yayoi again.

"You remind me of our Haruka," she said at last. "She's always saying stupid things and invading people's privacy."

Yayoi wilted.

"But," Makoto continued, "you can't tell anyone this, but I used to look forward to having conversations with her."

Yayoi cocked her head.

Makoto gazed off into the distance, which seemed to be her favorite pastime. "…maybe it's because she always knew just what to say, and I know she wasn't just saying stuff to sound smart." She sighed. "It's stupid, but I used to walk next to her in the Mondenkind building just to hear her talk."

"She sounds nice," Yayoi offered.

"…she was." Makoto tapped her fingers on her leg for a moment. "She was a lot like you."

"Do you like her?"

"I don't think so. Actually, I think I hate her."

"Why?"

"Because she has this ability to make you think long and hard about things you've done in the past. She makes you think about all the horrible circumstances in your life and consider how horrible they really are. She makes you want to trust and forgive, and…she makes me wish I had never left Onee-chan. Because now that I have, I can't ever go back."

"I think Dark Azusa-san would be happy to see you." Yayoi kicked her feet. "Just because you're a part of Turiavita now doesn't mean she won't accept you."

Makoto sighed. "Maybe you're right, and maybe I should just kill you right now."

Yayoi flopped back on her bed. "…actually…I'm not afraid of dying anymore," she realized. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Weird. Suddenly I am."

"But what are you afraid of?"

"…I'm afraid to face her."

"I don't think she's mad."

"…knowing that woman…she'll probably be waiting with a cup of tea." Makoto chuckled. "Still, after everything we've done to each other…I don't think we'll ever be able to go back to the way things were."

"I think—"

Yayoi was cut off when Makoto suddenly whirled towards her, an ice knife in her hand, and grabbed onto Yayoi's wrist with an iron grip. Yayoi screamed. "D-Dark Makoto-san, what are you doing…?!"

Makoto narrowed her eyes and yanked the knife straight through Yayoi's wrist. Yayoi screamed in anguish, blood spurting from the newly opened wound. Makoto's face was neutral as she used her powers to throw ice over the stub of a wrist. Yayoi moaned in pain.

Makoto released her. "…My superiors would be angry if they saw that nothing was accomplished." She lifted her knife again and cut a slice down Yayoi's right cheek. Yayoi let out a cry of surprise. Makoto paused for just a second before she drove her knife deep into the center of Yayoi's ribcage. Yayoi let out another moan of pain. Dully, she realized that all the places Makoto had attacked would not kill her. She looked pleadingly up at the Ice Witch to find that she had melted her knife and was now spreading a strip of blanket over Yayoi's bleeding abdomen.

She was taking care of her.

Yayoi sniffled, her eyes leaking tears. Makoto gazed at her sadly, then bent and picked up her severed hand.

"I'm going to leave now," she announced. "…I…thank you, for the conversation. It really was kinda nice." Makoto turned away and started off towards the door to leave.

"Dark Makoto-san...!"

She turned back around.

Yayoi winced in pain and glanced over at her. "I…need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Who are you really angry at?"

Makoto blinked.

"I think…you're more mad at Turiavita, who attacked you and drove you away from your onee-chan…than you are at your onee-chan herself."

Makoto chuckled. "Great observation. I think the bitterness I have towards those people will keep me strong enough to come back and kill you for real one day." She paused. "…although, for some reason, I don't think I'll really be able to do it."

"Why not?"

"…you remind me too much of myself." With that, the Ice Queen vanished into the hallways outside, taking Yayoi's hand with her. Yayoi watched her go, somehow feeling peaceful. She smiled.

"Thank you."

*.*.*.*

"Chihaya-san, are you…"

Dark Chihaya growled. "I can't believe this…"

"Yes, it's unfortunate that Takane-san and Miki-san showed up to protect their friend."

"I know who else we can kill, though…" Chihaya grinned.

Yukiho smiled sadly. "That thorn in your side, Amami Haruka-san. Right?"

Chihaya chuckled. "You know me well," she murmured. "Come. Getting rid of the Haruka on the other side will make me happy."

"Yes, of course, Chihaya-san."

*.*.*.*

Chihaya gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. Karasu rubbed her shoulders.

"Well? What do you say? Surrender and we'll tell Makoto to back off of the light wizard. If not, she'll kill the poor thing," he explained. "The choice is yours, little Chihaya-chan."

"I…can't make that choice," Chihaya whispered. "…it's not fair. It's not fair to pit one life against another."

"If you really love her, you'll sacrifice yourself in an instant."

"Do you truly believe that's what love is about?!"

Karasu raised an eyebrow.

Chihaya stared down at her hands as though she could see them. "Sometimes…sometimes loving someone means knowing that they love you. Sometimes it means allowing them to get hurt because you know that's what will make them happy! Sometimes it means letting them make a sacrifice so that you can avenge their death in a way that they'll be satisfied! And maybe this is one of those times!"

"I don't think that's true," Karasu admitted. "You're just trying to make excuses."

"What would a monster like you know about love?" Chihaya mumbled.

"Unlike you, I have a mate."

"That's not love. It's an artificial feeling impressed upon you by another monster. That's not love."

"You're pretty smart about these things."

Chihaya nodded. "…give me a moment to think," she said at last.

Karasu nodded. "You have one minute. If you haven't decided by then, I'll choose for you."

"What would you choose?"

"Both."

Chihaya sighed. She crossed her legs, leaned her chin on her hand, uncrossed her legs, and crossed them again. At last, she came to a conclusion. "I have made my decision," she announced.

Karasu rested a hand on her shoulder. "Which do you choose?"

Chihaya smiled slightly. "Neither."

Before Karasu could react, Chihaya's ice spread from her shoulder to his hand, then onwards until it covered his whole body. The Ice Mage stood up and prepared to force her ice inwards. Doing so would crush the warlock inside, and since killing him would not affect anyone in the academy, she felt no qualms about doing so.

Just before Chihaya could complete her task, the door burst open, revealing Dark Chihaya and Dark Yukiho in the frame.

"Karasu, we got one so I came to make sure…" Dark Chihaya trailed off. Karasu used his abilities to absorb all the darkness from inside his frozen prison, leaving Chihaya in full view. Dark Chihaya gasped. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Stay out of my academy!" Chihaya ordered, sending a ball of ice at her rival. Dark Chihaya growled and retaliated with a blast of flames. Chihaya's attack was melted, but unlike when she sparred with Iori, Dark Chihaya's flames weren't put out. Chihaya gasped and jumped away to hide behind her waterbed. As soon as she did, Dark Chihaya directed her flames at Karasu and melted the ice around his body. Freed, the Shadow Warlock teleported over to Dark Chihaya's side while a blast of air from Dark Yukiho sent Chihaya flying into the air. The Ice Mage gasped.

Dark Chihaya stepped forwards. "You are good friends with the earth wizard, right?"

"Best friends," Chihaya corrected warily.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that she is dead now."

Chihaya gasped loudly, her eyes wide in disbelief. "…she's not…"

Dark Chihaya smirked. "Don't believe me, sweet Grand Mage? Go take a look at her ashes later. Didn't you hear her screams? They sounded a lot like your brother's."

"No…!"

Dark Chihaya broke into a full-blown evil laugh. "Suffer!" she cried. "Cry and scream and writhe in agony! I want to see you bow before me, Grand Mage!"

Chihaya felt her heart harden. First her beloved little brother had been taken, now her best friend. She closed her eyes, letting herself focus on the hatred in her soul. When she opened her eyes again, her hands shot up and fired two spears of ice straight at Dark Yukiho. The air wizard gasped and was instantly impaled with the spears, one through her brain and the other through her heart. She drew in shaky breaths, looked wide-eyed at Dark Chihaya, and then collapsed. Dark Chihaya fell beside her and checked her pulse.

Nothing.

With Dark Yukiho killed, her jetstream vanished. Chihaya fell to the floor and landed on her feet. She glared daggers at Dark Chihaya, who responded with a glare of her own.

"You killed Yukiho," the Grand Witch hissed.

"You killed Haruka," The Grand Mage countered. "YOU'RE the one that must suffer."

"Just die already, you stubborn b*tch!"

"That goes triple for you."

The two rivals clashed, Dark Chihaya beginning with a huge vortex of flame and Chihaya countering with a giant iceberg. They fought with spears, swords, even hand-to-hand combat. Neither one backed down, and the fight seemed like it would last forever. There were no shields, just fireballs, icy pillars, and swear words. Karasu watched in amusement.

It wasn't long, however, before the rest of the mages and wizards (except for Yayoi, Chihaya noted) arrived. Dark Chihaya was caught off-guard by a blast of water on her side and a sharp shot of wind on her back, the latter of which pushed her straight into a giant boulder. She hissed and released a circle of flame. The wizards and mages drew up shields and blocked the attack, all except Iori, who simply absorbed it.

Dark Chihaya screamed in rage and blasted flames in all directions, hoping to catch someone off-guard as they did to her. But whenever a wizard or mage was set ablaze, a quick shot from the water wizard put the fire out.

Dark Chihaya growled. "Karasu! Round up the others!" she ordered. "…we're going home. For now. But mark my words, you will not escape me, Kisaragi Chihaya! You will not!"

Chihaya lifted her chin. "I don't have to," she muttered. "WE will."

Dark Chihaya narrowed her eyes. "Get me out of here!" she ordered. "NOW!"

"As you wish." Karasu slid his arm around his mistress' waist and offered the residents of NamukoAcademy a wave before fading into the background. Chihaya waited until they were gone before letting out a breath of relief. The assembled magicians cheered and began to celebrate. Chihaya waited until she could see Dark Makoto flying the other three home before she allowed herself to join in the small celebration.

Her joy did not last long, however, since a dark thought soon struck her.

"Where is Takatsuki-san?!"


	9. Chapter the Ninth

Chapter the Ninth

Yayoi was lying on her bed, panting, when Chihaya ran in, a concerned look on her face. Yayoi looked over at the Grand Mage and smiled.

"Takatsuki-san!" Chihaya cried, collapsing by Yayoi's bed and grasping her hand (or at least, what was left of her hand). "Oh…thank goodness you're alive! What happened?! Where is your hand?!"

Yayoi opened her mouth to say that she and Dark Makoto had simply conversed until the Ice Queen suddenly attacked her, but then she thought about what kinds of things they had discussed and, for some reason, decided not to tell Chihaya about what they'd talked about.

"Um…Dark Makoto-san and I fought, and she almost won, and then I chased her away by blinding her," she answered instead.

"Are you safe? Who put this ice on your hand?" Chihaya pressed her forehead to Yayoi's ice-covered wrist stub.

"…Dark…Dark Makoto-san gave it to me."

"She did?"

"I don't expect anyone to understand." Yayoi gazed at the ceiling. "But somehow, I think she and I are friends now."

"That witch has no friends," Chihaya hissed.

"You don't know her!" Yayoi shot out, surprised at her outburst—just as surprised as Chihaya, probably. "…I don't want to tell you exactly what happened, because I think it would be invading her privacy. But we talked to each other a bit…while we were fighting. And I don't think any of you understand her feelings, but I do. And that understanding has made me feel sorry for her. All she needs is for someone to show her that they care about her."

Chihaya was silent for a moment. "…what are you trying to say, Takatsuki-san?"

"I think…Dark Makoto-san is a truly wonderful person." Yayoi smiled. "She gave me this ice, after all, and because of it I can't even feel the injury anymore."

"She's deceiving you."

"No," Yayoi corrected. "…Chihaya-san, I'm sorry, but I can't let you kill her."

"You don't get to make those kinds of decisions," Chihaya lashed. "She's our biggest threat."

"She's our biggest ally!"

"Since when did you get this kind of wisdom?"

"I don't know. I'm still just a little girl. But…I know what it's like to feel lonely. And I want to help Dark Makoto-san."

Chihaya didn't blink. "There is no help for those who run from it."

"Why won't you give her a chance?"

"I gave her a chance! And you know what she did?! She nearly killed me, murdered thousands of our guards, and injured Hibiki so much that she will now never be able to become a mage! And her little Turiavita cohorts killed my little brother and my best friend, and thanks to all that, Hagiwara-san lost some of her powers!"

"But it's not her fault!" Yayoi wailed.

"Then whose fault do you suppose it is, then?!" Chihaya stood up, her eyes narrowed.

Yayoi fell silent and felt tears tugging at her eyes. "Oh…Chihaya-san…! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry, it's just…we had such a wonderful conversation about her sister, and I realized that she's really just like the rest of us! She just wants a family and friends, and people who will love her! She's bitter like this because she feels abused by the only person she could ever love and I just started thinking, it's not fair! It's not fair that all these horrible things happen to us! This shouldn't have to happen! Why can't we all just get along?!"

Chihaya remained silent as Yayoi sobbed loudly, tears spilling from her eyes, her body rigid. The Ice Mage allowed herself to cry a bit as well.

Finally, Chihaya sat down beside Yayoi again and placed a hand on her shoulder. Yayoi bolted up and hugged her tightly. Chihaya held her close.

"I hate this," Yayoi sobbed. "I don't want to kill people. I hate the idea that innocent magicians are dying because of a selfless wish gone wrong! It's not anyone's fault that this happened! It's because Dark Chihaya-san's mind became so twisted that she's being so ruthless, but in the end she really just wants her family back!"

Chihaya squeezed Yayoi closer. "We all want our families back," she murmured.

"I'm sorry, Chihaya-san," Yayoi whispered. "Were you worried?"

"Of course I was," Chihaya replied. "…you remind me of my little brother, Takatsuki-san. I can't help but want to protect you."

"…the wizards said your brother was back at home. But you said earlier that he died."

"I don't want the others to know. Only…only Haruka knew the truth. And Turiavita."

"How did he die?" Yayoi paused and sniffled. "I'm sorry, that's too personal…"

"During one of Turiavita's first attacks, while I was still a water wizard, Dark Chihaya burned him alive right in front of me."

Yayoi was silent for a minute. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet and shaking. "I'm sorry. That…that's horrible."

Chihaya didn't say anything else. She just cried, holding Yayoi like her life depended on it. Yayoi closed her eyes and leaned her head on Chihaya's shoulder. They remained in the embrace for as long as the two of them needed, then Chihaya slowly lay Yayoi back, wiped her eyes, and smiled.

"…I can't help but agree with you about something, Takatsuki-san," she said softly. "If all Dark Makoto wants is a family, maybe we can bargain with her. You're 'friends', right?"

"I think we might be."

"Do you think you could get her on our side?"

Yayoi smiled. "Yeah. I actually think I can."

"Then that is your new task." Chihaya stood and looked down at Yayoi, authority in her gaze. "Takatsuki Yayoi, the Shining Prodigy, I hereby task you with converting the Ice Witch Kikuchi Makoto to our side. May the blinding light of your abilities guide you."

Yayoi grinned. "Yes. I will do anything I need to to do this task."

Chihaya nodded. "I'm going to go get a medical expert to help you heal. In the meantime, you relax and try not to disturb the wounds too much. I'll be right back," she promised. Yayoi nodded as best she could while lying down. Chihaya bowed slightly and then headed into the hallways to retrieve a medical expert to help Yayoi. Yayoi waved until the Ice Mage was out of sight.

"Thank you, Chihaya-san."


	10. Chapter the Tenth

Chapter the Tenth

"Hey, Yayoi, can you still practice?" Miki asked, knelt by her student's bed. Yayoi smiled.

"Yeah, I think so. The other day I practiced that blinding sphere and a shield, and it seemed fine. So I think I'm good."

Miki nodded. "Since that attack, there's been no activity from Turiavita for five days. That means we can start to practice again, 'kay? Let's see…where did we leave off?"

"Um…you were teaching me how to make a lance."

"Oh yeah! Well, first, you need to focus," Miki instructed. "When you're nice and focused, put your hands like this…in little fists right next to each other." Miki demonstrated by placing her fisted hands right next to each other in front of her, lengthwise with her thumbs touching.

Yayoi obeyed.

"Now, loosen your fists just a little." Miki followed her own directions, loosening her fists so that her pointer finger rested on the first joint in her thumb. Yayoi followed her lead. "And then you focus all your power into your hands…"

"Got it!" Yayoi closed her eyes and tried to concentrate her light powers into her hands.

"Now slowly separate your hands. Lances are tapered like a candle, so slowly close your right hand as you go and open your left hand," Miki continued. She waited to see Yayoi nodding before she finished her own lance (or at least the lance part).

Yayoi seemed to be focusing intently, so Miki remained silent as the young wizard followed in her teacher's footsteps and crafted a lance. Miki giggled.

"Perfect!" she praised. "You really are a prodigy, Yayoi~. Nano."

Yayoi giggled too. "Thank you!"

"Now we need to make the handle. Hold on to the wide part with your right hand and, with your left hand, grab onto the very edge and stretch out a handle. Like…like this." Miki demonstrated, mostly because she wasn't confident in her own abilities to properly explain things.

Yayoi understood, since she completed her lance perfectly. She laughed. "Miki-san, look~!"

"Yay! You did it flawlessly! Great job, Yayoi~! Now, you can throw these at bad guys, or you can use them for melee attacks. They're a great weapon, the best kind a light magician can create."

Yayoi nodded. "Can they…kill?" she asked quietly.

Miki turned solemn. "If they have to."

Yayoi nodded again, more slowly. She sighed. "It's time I just accepted this, huh?" she muttered.

"Maybe," Miki sighed. "Miki doesn't like it either, but there isn't anything she can do. So, what else do you want to try?"

"Um…can we practice shields some more? Mine feel so flimsy."

"Got it!"

*.*.*.*

The mages and wizards were currently gathered in Chihaya's room. Hibiki carried Yayoi in her arms so that the light wizard could attend the last-minute meeting without hurting herself too much. Chihaya was seated on her waterbed, the rest of the magicians gathered around her in random rooms. A few guards were stationed around the outside as well, including the previous Wind Mage, Otonashi Kotori, and Yayoi's personal guard, Amagase Touma.

Chihaya had called the meeting only minutes before. No one was quite sure what it was about, but the Grand Mage looked serious, so they assumed it was something big. Chihaya looked around at the assembled people and sighed.

"Turiavita is starting to annoy me," she stated simply. "I don't want them to keep destroying our wizards and mages. This has to stop."

"What do you suggest we do, Grand Mage?" Takane prompted.

Chihaya lifted her chin in authority. "Take the offensive."

A few gathered magicians gasped. Chihaya lowered her chin.

"…Hagiwara-san?"

Yukiho stepped forwards. "Yes, Chihaya-chan."

"I apologize." Chihaya dipped her head. "I thoughtlessly killed Dark Yukiho without paying heed to what it would do to you."

Yukiho smiled. "It's alright. Chihaya-chan. It was necessary."

Chihaya nodded. "Makoto?"

"Yeah?"

"Look after her. She was already one of the weakest wizards, but Dark Yukiho's death has weakened her even more."

"You think I need you to tell me that?" Makoto flashed a thumbs-up. "Hey, Yukiho's my best friend. I'll protect her, no orders needed."

Chihaya smiled. "Good. Takatsuki-san?"

"I'm here," Yayoi called from Hibiki's arms.

"Stay as close to the other wizards as possible. Miki, look after her and make sure she stays safe. Hibiki, Shijou-san…cover them."

"What's our plan?" Ritsuko asked.

Chihaya offered a weak laugh. "I was hoping you could help me with that."

Ritsuko laughed back. "Alright. First, we should split off into groups. Each group tackles a different member of Turiavita. A fifth group can be sent into Mondenkind to get help. Chihaya, Grand Mage, choose the groups."

Chihaya nodded. "…I will take Minase-san and the twins. Shijou-san, you lead a second group with Hibiki and Ritsuko-san. Makoto, you just take Hagiwara-san with you. And Takatsuki-san, I want you with Azusa-san."

The assembled people nodded. Chihaya looked down at the floor.

"…My group will handle Dark Chihaya. Shijou-san, your group goes against Karasu. Makoto and Hagiwara-san, you handle Riffa. And Takatsuki-san and Azusa-san…you two are up against Dark Makoto."

Everyone but the two wizards (and Chihaya) gasped.

"Are you joking?!" Makoto snapped. "Dark Makoto will slice them to pieces in seconds!"

"Not them, she won't," Chihaya corrected. "…I was wrong when I said she is completely frozen over. In truth, there is a piece of her that still remembers the girl she was before the incident. And Takatsuki-san and Azusa-san know just how to get to that person."

Makoto was silent. "…why Yayoi?"

"Have you noticed that she's still alive?" Chihaya smiled. "That's more than can be said for most of Dark Makoto's other targets."

Hibiki let out a hiss. "I wanna get revenge on that girl. Because o' 'er, my powers don't work right an' I can't be a mage."

"We have to think strategy here," Chihaya said firmly. "You and Shijou-san are the least susceptible to Karasu's mind games, and Ritsuko-san has a steely nerve. The three of you will work perfectly against that man. Minase-san and the twins can absorb Dark Chihaya's powers, so her abilities will be virtually useless against them. They can handle the defense while my ice handles offense. Makoto and Hagiwara-san are admittedly the weakest team, although the both of them understand their missions and will readily dispose of a weaker wizard like Riffa. And Azusa-san and Takatsuki-san together will be able to penetrate the darkness within Dark Makoto's soul and convince her to go back to the way she was. It's strategy."

Ritsuko nodded. "She's right. It's a genius plan…"

Chihaya sighed. "Two days. On the night of the half moon, in two days, we shall strike. Be ready."

"It would be easier if Haruka was here," Hibiki muttered.

Chihaya winced. "…we can do this just fine on our own," she said quietly. "Please just trust me."

Hibiki nodded.

"Now…everyone return to your training. I want you in top shape for the upcoming battle. And…one more thing."

Everyone waited.

"Do not hesitate to kill if your opponent is too tricky. They will kill you, so you can not hesitate to kill them."

"Wait! You didn't give Miki a group!"

Chihaya blinked, then slapped her palm in her face. "I forgot Miki…!"

"Um, yeah! How could you forget Miki?!"

Chihaya sighed. "Miki, you'll be our special fifth group. Infiltrate Mondenkind and convince them to be on our team. You won't have any problems even if you are alone since they are all nearly on our side anyways."

Miki nodded. "OK, got it, nano."

The Grand Mage looked at the ceiling. "Now disperse."

**(Totally Random Author's Note: You know, I haven't spotlighted Iori in a really long time, it feels like. She's supposed to be a main character.**

**I blame Miki, she's always stealing the spotlight. **

**I'll have to put more focus on our favorite little Deko-chan in the upcoming chapters.)**


	11. Chapter the Eleventh

Chapter the Eleventh

Iori looked over at Miki, who was staring intently at Takane, who was training Hibiki, who was lost in thought. The Flame Mage had been doing this for quite a while now; for some reason, she thought she could detect that Miki was feeling afraid, which admittedly made Iori happy. She didn't really like the Sun Mage, after all.

"…Dek—Iori-chan?"

Iori blinked. "What?"

"Do you really think Miki will be OK by herself?"

"Sure." Iori shrugged. "I mean, Mondenkind isn't even an enemy at this point. I don't think you need to worry."

"How supportive!" Miki squealed, clapping in delight. "Miki knew you'd try to help her!"

"I-I'm not helping you, idiot!"

Miki looked down at the ground. "…it's tomorrow night, you know," she said quietly. "Miki's heart just goes 'doki-doki' whenever she thinks about it. You know?"

Iori nodded slowly. "You're gonna be fine. I'm more worried about me and Chihaya. …And Yayoi and Azusa-san."

Miki smiled. "Yeah…Miki hopes you make it out alive. She'd miss you."

Iori looked over at Takane and Hibiki. "…Hibiki…"

"She'll never be a mage," Miki breathed. "Haruka isn't around to take over as Stone Mage anymore. Yukiho will never catch up enough to be Wind Mage. All-around, our mages may be really powerful, but…our wizards are as good as dead. Yayoi's the last prodigy left."

"And there are only three more wizards to follow in our footsteps," Iori added. "Ritsuko-san's cousins and his friends."

"Yeah…"

Iori sighed miserably. "I hate everything."

"Still. We need to keep at it, no matter what. To persevere until the end, no matter the dangers, no matter the consequences or the risks. Together. Holding hands. Our powers as one, threading through one another, creating a world of peace for all who live in it. That's the NamukoAcademy way. That's how we live our lives, to provide hope to those who have none, to offer prosperity to those who are suffering, to save the lives of those who can't defend themselves. Wizards and mages of the light for the five villages, that is who we are. And we can never back down from that task!" Miki stood up, her expression serious, her voice rising. "That is the NamukoAcademy creed! That's our motto! That's our code! That's what we live by!"

"'May the flames of your passion dance before you in an eternal song of determination.' That was Chihaya's charge to me when I became a mage." Iori joined her rival. "I won't let her down! I'm Minase Iori, and I will fight for my academy!"

Miki put her hand out just as Takane and Hibiki joined her, impressed by the mages' speech.

"For Miki's academy," Miki said softly. Iori placed her hand on Miki's and smirked.

"For my academy," Takane added, placing in her own hand.

"For OUR academy!" Hibiki finished, slapping her hand on top.

"Namuko Academy WILL withstand these attacks!" Iori cried. "We WILL survive! And we will protect ourselves, each other, and the villages we hail from! This is OUR academy!"

"NamukoAcademy…FIGHT-O!"

From somewhere not far away, Chihaya watched the mages and wizard cheer out their battle cry and smiled. Since taking over as the Grand Mage, she had done everything in her power to instill those virtues in them. She wanted the members of NamukoAcademy to be brave, determined, and valiant. She loved them all dearly and wanted the best for them. And ever since Dark Makoto had launched a vicious attack that wiped out one of the five villages, she had sworn to look after those villages no matter what.

It was her job. It was everyone's job, to look after each other and defend each other from one of Turiavita's attacks.

The Grand Mage stayed put while the mages and wizard bid each other farewell and then branched off in their different directions. She leaned against the wall, her hands by her sides.

"…to persevere until the end…no matter the dangers, no matter the consequences, no matter the risks. …Together." Chihaya looked at the ceiling and smiled. "That…is the NamukoAcademy way."

*.*.*.*

Someone knocked on Yayoi's door. Yayoi looked over at it and smiled.

"Come in!" she called. The door opened, revealing Iori, who slid inside and then closed it again.

"Yayoi…" Iori looked at her friend sadly. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Yayoi answered. "My hand is still gone, but I can make a hand out of light. Miki-san taught me. See?" Iori watched, and Yayoi materialized a correctly-sized hand on her wrist stub out of light. "I used it to make a lance yesterday."

"That's a useful skill."

"Yeah, it's fully flexible too!" Yayoi rotated her light hand around and wiggled her fingers. "So, what's up?"

"…I just missed you." Iori blushed slightly. "…do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Eeeh…?! I-Iori-chan, I'm not that kind of person…!"

"N-no, not like that, you moron! I'm just asking a general question!"

"Oh…" Yayoi seemed to calm down. "Well…I guess I do. Why?"

"Well, I think—"

"I-Iori-chan…!"

"—that the first time I ever saw you, I knew—"

"Iori-chan, don't talk like that…!"

"—that we would be best friends."

"Best…ah…so that's what you meant."

Iori tried to smile. "Idiot," she teased. "I'm not that kind of person, of course. Minase Iori-chan is too cute and perfect to be into girls."

"That's true."

"Anyway, back on topic…" Iori trailed off. "…I'm worried about you. I want you to be safe, so I need you to make me a promise."

Yayoi nodded. "OK," she agreed. "What is it?"

"I need you to promise me that if you fail to get Dark Makoto on your side and she attacks you…you won't try to spare her," Iori explained. "Don't do anything stupid."

"But—"

"No buts! You have to promise me!"

Yayoi didn't respond. She remained silent until she saw the tears in Iori's eyes. "…Iori-chan, are you…?"

"Idiot!" Iori lashed. "Idiot! You're such an idiot!"

"I-Iori-chan!" Yayoi gasped, reaching towards her.

Iori slapped her hand away and stepped back. "What kind of idiot worries more about her mortal enemy than her best friend?! We've known each other for months now, and I thought…I thought I meant more to you than this! You…you idiot!"

Yayoi started to cry as well. "…I'm sorry, I'm so useless when it comes to these things," she admitted.

"Shut up!" Iori snapped. "You're not useless! Don't you ever say that, you idiot!"

"I really am stupid…!"

"Why can't you make me that promise?!"

"I can't!" Yayoi let out a loud wail. "I can't promise you to kill!"  
"You have to get out of there alive!" Iori cried. "I'll…I'll never forgive you if you die, you hear me?! I'll never forgive you!" With that statement, the auburn-haired Flame Mage turned and ran out of the room, wiping her eyes. The door slammed behind her before Yayoi had time to call her back. The ginger-headed wizard sat there sniffling, hoping Iori would come back so she could apologize. But despite Yayoi's wishes, her best friend never returned. This person who she had come to care for so much never came back to wish her "goodnight", even though it could have been the last time.

And just like those first nights, Yayoi found herself crying herself to sleep.

_Iori-chan…I'm so sorry._

_ I really am an idiot…_

**(A/N: So I just realized I had Yayoi practice earlier with one hand. Since I'm too lazy to fix that chapter, this one clears things up by telling everyone about the light hand. Yayoi probably learned about that immediately after she was injured, when the medical expert was helping her out. Miki ran in and was just like "hey student! Look at this cool thing you can do that gives you a hand! OK bye!"**

**Sorry, you guys.)**


	12. Chapter the Twelfth

"It's been quiet lately, huh?" Karasu asked, lazily tapping keys on his computer. "Namuko Academy isn't sending threats, the villages are behaving, and even Mondenkind is free of rebellions. Weird."

"Something big is definitely coming," Chihaya muttered. "Don't you dare let your guard down on me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Grand Witch."

Chihaya sighed. "I'm bored."

"Ice Witch, any news from Namuko Academy?" Karasu called to Makoto, stationed a few desks away, wrapped up in her light blue cloak. Makoto didn't speak. "Makoto."

Makoto grunted.

"Namuko Academy. What's up over there?"

"…nothing important," Makoto muttered. "Just a meeting or two."

"About…?"

"The earth wizard is dead, so they have no one to grow their food. Things like that," Makoto answered.

"Ah." Karasu nodded. "That's logical."

"I say we attack them again," Chihaya announced decisively. "The first battle was almost a waste, so we should start another one."

"A tempting offer," Karasu mused. "But…" The Shadow Warlock trailed off at the noise of ice crackling along the walls. "Makoto, what are you doing?"

Makoto looked surprised. "I'm not doing anything," she promised.

Karasu narrowed his eyes. "Then…"

Suddenly, the wall burst open, shattering into little ice crystals. Chihaya screamed in rage. Makoto and Karasu gasped.

Standing where the wall had once been were the Ice Mage, the Flame Mage, and the two fire wizards. Not far behind were the Stone Mage, the Shadow Mage, and the darkness wizard. The others were nowhere to be seen.

"Kisaragi Chihaya!" Dark Chihaya declared, rising to her feet. "You dare show your face in my castle?!"

"It is over, Grand Witch," Chihaya said evenly. "We're bringing the fight to you. Surrender now, and we will make your defeat easy."

"That word isn't even part of my vocabulary," Dark Chihaya spat.

Chihaya smirked. "Then you will die."

All at once, the Frozen Beauty and her posse of three launched themselves at the Psycho Explosion and cornered her against the wall. Dark Makoto and Karasu jumped to their feet.

"Chihaya!" Karasu gasped, moving towards his mistress. Takane slid in the way and the warlock paused. "Ah, Shijou Takane. It's been a while."

"Too long," Takane agreed. "Are you alright with doing battle in such a tight space, or shall we go somewhere else?"

"I think the downstairs cafeteria is open, wanna go there?"

"It is settled."

"Alright. Make sure the others are here before we take off. I have more fun with multiple people."

"Indeed. Ritsuko-san. Hibiki, assemble!"

"On it!" Hibiki shot out. She floated into the room on her shadows, Ritsuko beside her. When all of them were assembled, Takane and Karasu warped them away.

"…you SUCK!" Dark Chihaya yelled after him. "GET BACK HERE AND HELP ME! …fine. I will turn you all to ash!"

Iori, Ami, Mami, and Chihaya nodded, surrounding the Grand Witch. Dark Chihaya smirked.

"I've got you now!" she shouted, leaping at Chihaya. Chihaya set up a shield of ice, her face neutral.

Using the chaos as an excuse, Dark Makoto quickly melted into a puddle of water and snuck off to her room. She felt no need to defend her insane boss.

*.*.*.*

Riffa hummed a song to herself as she skipped through the halls, carrying an armful of newly-polished axes. She looked around, trying to remember where her room was. For some reason, she always mistook Dark Yukiho's room for her own.

After locating the correct door, the young blonde witch used her shoulder to nudge it open and slide in.

Waiting for her inside were the Wind Mage and her air wizard, the former of which was calmly sipping a cup of tea and the latter of which was making more tea for herself. Both looked up when Riffa walked in.

"Hi," Riffa greeted.

"Hey," Makoto replied, lifting a hand.

"Hello," Yukiho offered.

"Why are you here? Did you come to play?"

"Nah, we came to kill you."

"Ooh, that's my favorite game! Let's see who can kill the other team first!"

"Wait, what team?"

Riffa promptly split into about seven different Riffas, all with an armful of axes. "This team!" all copies chirped at once.

Makoto blinked. "…well, crap."

Yukiho squeaked.

*.*.*.*

Dark Makoto sat down on her bed and tried not to pay attention to the sounds of explosions in the control room. She wondered where the other wizards and mages were; maybe they had been left behind, and maybe…

_…maybe…no one is at the academy…_

An idea starting to form in her head, the Ice Queen went to her window and slid it open, unfolding her wings of ice from her back. She stared at the dark sky beyond her room, debating.

_"Who are you really angry at?"_

_ Everyone, _Dark Makoto finalized in her mind. _…especially myself._

"My, my, Makoto-chan~. I didn't realize you liked to stargaze~."

"U-uun…! Hi there, Dark Makoto-san! Please excuse us for barging in!"

"…I brought cookies~"

Dark Makoto gasped and whirled around, long claws of ice extending from her fingers. The two wizards at her door flinched, and Dark Makoto recognized them immediately.

Takatsuki Yayoi, the Shining Prodigy…and Miura Azusa.

**(A/N: I'm gonna split the Namuko Academy invasion into a few chapters.**

** This chapter was kinda like the introduction, setting up the major battles and stuff. This story has started moving along way too quickly, and if I don't start separating major battles into little chapters, I'll never reach twenty chapters long! And That's just my minimum.**

**Well, as always, reviews are appreciated but not demanded! If you have time and energy, I'd love to hear from you. Are you guys enjoying the story? It's totally got a mind of its own, I didn't expect half this stuff to happen when I first started writing it.**

**But yeah! Thanks for your support, please continue to watch for more chapters, I love you all. Bye.)**


	13. Chapter the Thirteenth

Chapter the Thirteenth

Dark Chihaya had been frustrated the second Chihaya and her friends burst through the wall. By now, the Flame Witch was just plan annoyed.

Every attack she sent was absorbed by the twins or Iori, and Chihaya's ice kept her taking damage. What she could use was some backup, but Karasu had left her, Dark Makoto was nowhere to be found, and Dark Chihaya wasn't sure Riffa was even in the castle.

She hissed. "I hate you all, you know."

"We hate you more," Ami announced.

"Yeah, like…way more," Mami added.

"What will it take for you to roll over and die?"

"You actually succeeding in killing us," Ami answered without delay.

"Yeah, like…really killing us," Mami agreed.

"Then stop living."

"No."

"Yeah, like…no."

Dark Chihaya rolled her eyes. "Fine!" she snapped. Her hands suddenly burst into flames, lighting nearly the whole room with her intense fire. She let out a battle screech and leapt at Chihaya, hands extended. Ami and Mami started towards the Ice Mage, but Dark Chihaya kicked them away, and same with Iori when the Flame Mage tried to help. Chihaya gasped.

It wasn't until the flames engulfed her completely that Chihaya understood why her brother's screams had been so agonized.

*.*.*.*

The room was as black as the Shadow Warlock's soul, which meant it was pretty darn dark. Takane and Hibiki had no trouble maneuvering because of their abilities, but Ritsuko seemed to be struggling.

"Oi, Takane! Where is he now?!" the Stone Mage yelled.

There was a pause. "Ritsuko, to your left, but he's quickly moving right," Takane's voice called.

"I got 'im!" Hibiki shouted. "Takane! My tenetacle's got his arm, fire away—huh? H-he's gone!"

"You three are horrible in darkness," Karasu sighed. "And I thought you were supposed to be skilled, Takane."

"I AM skilled," Takane replied. There was a thump, a light "oof", and then a grunt of annoyance. "Now you are on the floor."

"And, now I'm IN the floor."

"What?" Takane blinked. "Curses, the blasted warlock is right. I cannot even see him."

"All this power and he doesn't even have Rune Eyes," Ritsuko muttered. She felt something grip her ankle and cocked her head, confused. "Hibiki, get your tentacle off my foot!"

"I ain't touchin' ya!" Hibiki snapped.

"Weird, I'm sinking," Ritsuko noticed. "…I'm sinking…c-crap! Takane!"

Sure enough, the Stone Mage felt herself being dragged down into the floor itself. The added hand on her other ankle didn't help.

Takane hissed something under her breath. Hibiki cursed.

"Ya have superior knowledge, think o' somethin'!" the darkness wizard ordered.

Ritsuko thought for a moment, already waist-deep in the floor. "Got it!" she shouted.

The ground around her suddenly morphed into solid stone. There was a loud, anguished scream, then the hands released her ankles and Karasu's shadows vanished, leaving the room in light. The Shadow Warlock materialized next to a fallen table, breathing heavily and clutching a bleeding left arm. He growled, his expression one of dull anger and annoyance.

"I actually hurt him!" Ritsuko cheered, sounding proud. "Not even shadows can pass through a Rune Eyed mage's solid stone."

"So they can't," Karasu hissed. "You're not bad for a mage."

Takane smiled proudly. "Your main strength comes from your manipulation, your mind games, the fear you cause in others. We are immune to these games. You are near powerless against us."

"I'm not shabby on the actual powers either," Karasu said smoothly. "Alright, you want a real fight? Because I can give you a real fight."

"Bring it on!" Hibiki challenged.

Karasu chuckled and his usual smirk returned. "As you wish."

*.*.*.*

"We have three options here," Makoto whispered to Yukiho, who nodded. "We fight, we run, or we die. I'm thinking the first option is best."

"We're so weak," Yukiho breathed. "…Makoto-chan, I'm scared…"

Makoto let out a battle cry and sent a gust of wind at all the assembled Riffas. The copies and girl squealed in annoyance, and all but one vanished. The real Riffa growled.

Makoto grinned in triumph. "Yukiho. We're weak, but we have guts. And when you have guts and a will to win, it's impossible for you to lose." The Wind Mage offered Yukiho a smile that would make most girls melt. "And besides, I'll protect you if something happens. It's my job."

Yukiho felt herself blush. "…M…Makoto-chan…"

"You guys are no fun!" Riffa whined. " Fine, fight me two against one! I'll allow it even though it's unfair. I'll win anyways!"

Makoto slid into a fighting pose. "You're not the only one here with skills besides your powers, Riffa."

"Yeah, but axe-wielding is cooler. Now die!"

Riffa threw a sharp-looking axe at Yukiho. The air wizard gasped and screamed, cowering against the wall. Makoto leapt in front of her and caught the axe out of the air, then sent it flying back at Riffa, using her powers to boost the speed of her throw. Riffa was too slow, and the axe slammed into her arm. She screeched in pain.

Makoto let out a breath of relief and turned to Yukiho. "Are you hurt?!"

Yukiho slowly relaxed, though her face still looked terrified. "I'm fine…"

Makoto faced Riffa again. "Don't leave me doing all the work. I know you're really weak right now, but…" The boyish mage cut off at the sight of another two axes. One of them was quickly blocked and the other one slammed into the wall only inches from Yukiho's face. Yukiho screamed.

"Y-Yukiho…!" Makoto gasped, looking over her shoulder again. "Be careful!"

"I-I'm fine!" Yukiho insisted. She worked at tugging the axe out of the wall.

Riffa giggled. "This is fun!" she cheered. "Your turn!"

Makoto gritted her teeth and sent a blast of air at Riffa, quick and sharp enough to cut her if it got too close. Riffa created a spiral of darkness that literally swallowed up Makoto's attack. Her spiral grew, and Riffa morphed it into a long, particularly sharp axe. She flung her new weapon at Makoto, and the Wind Mage was hit. She screamed and stumbled against the wall, blood flowing freely from a new wound on her chest. She gritted her teeth again, forcing herself to look up from the wound. Riffa laughed and Yukiho squeaked. The air wizard hurried to her best friend's side and wrenched out the axe. Makoto let loose a cry of pain and sank to the floor, her breath coming out jaggedly and her head hanging.

"Nice try!" Riffa taunted. "You'll never beat me at this game. I always win, see?"

Yukiho tried (and failed miserably) not to cry. She grabbed her injured friend's hand in both of hers. "…Makoto-chan…"

Makoto chuckled and looked up, her face strained. "So that's her power, huh?" she muttered. "…Yukiho, I have a plan."

Yukiho nodded frantically.

Makoto looked into her eyes. "Do you still know how to shoot doors at people?"

*.*.*.*

Dark Makoto narrowed her eyes. "What do you two want?" she snapped, her ice claws extending until the tips were close enough to impale the two wizards through the throat should Dark Makoto take another step.

Yayoi flinched. "We just wanted to talk," she whimpered. "…D-Dark Makoto-san, you wouldn't—"

Dark Makoto hissed and extended her claws further, piercing the skin of the wizards and drawing blood. Yayoi let out a small scream. Azusa gasped. "I promised both of you that I would kill you the next time we met," she reminded them coldly. "No mercy."

"A-actually, you told me you probably wouldn't be able to kill me," Yayoi said cautiously.

Dark Makoto winced. "…then go home. If you don't want to die, then get out of here!"

Azusa smiled warmly. "Don't be scared, Makoto-chan," she cooed. "We just wanted to say hi. And look, I have cookies~"

Dark Makoto stared at her. "Don't think I won't kill you in an instant," she muttered evenly.

"Do you really want to murder your Onee-chan like that?!" Yayoi cried. "Think about what you're doing, Dark Makoto-san! If you kill a light copy, the dark copy dies! Do you really want to do that?"

Dark Makoto growled. "Leave me alone!" she screamed, taking a step closer. And if it weren't for Azusa, who thought quickly and used her powers to manipulate the water within Dark Makoto's ice and shorten her claws, the two of them would have been killed.

Azusa's ever-present smile was nowhere to be found as she stepped closer, and closer, shortening Dark Makoto's claws until they vanished completely. She wasted no time in flinging her arms around the Ice Witch and holding the girl against her chest. Dark Makoto began to struggle.

"No!" she shouted. "Let go…let go of me…!"

Seeing that she was freed, Yayoi quickly ran over and joined the hug. Dark Makoto continued to fight against them, yelling at them to release her, but eventually she gave up and relaxed into the embrace. Both Azusa and Yayoi noticed that she hadn't even tried to use her powers.

"I know you're lonely, Makoto-chan," Azusa murmured, ignoring her spilled cookies on the floor by the door. "And I know you want your Onee-chan back. But even if you can't have her, you can have us. So please, weigh your options. You can get back the family and the love you've always wanted, or you can slave away for revenge under people you don't even like."

Dark Makoto was silent for a moment. "I know what you're trying to do."

"Save you from a life of crime?"

"Make me join you." Dark Makoto melted into a puddle of water and moved to her door before reassembling. "It's not going to work. I'm…I'm fine on my own. I've always been alone, and I like it that way. So leave me alone."

Yayoi and Azusa turned to find Dark Makoto nonchalantly munching on one of Azusa's cookies, her eyes closed.

"…but these are good cookies."

"Thank you, I made them from scratch~."

"Anyway…" Dark Makoto opened her eyes, which instantly began to glow as ice zoomed up Azusa and Yayoi's bodies, leaving the two trapped in ice up to their necks. Yayoi screamed. Azusa whimpered. Dark Makoto stepped closer to them, her Rune Eyes still glowing. "I have a job as assassin, and that job is to kill anyone who gets in my way." The ice tightened and both wizards cried out in shock and pain.

"I thought we were friends!" Yayoi cried. "Chihaya-san was right, you were just deceiving me! How could you be so cold?!"

"I'm the Ice Witch, kid! Cold is in my blood! Literally!" Dark Makoto lashed, lurching towards Yayoi and tightening the ice around her even further. Yayoi screamed in pain.

Azusa looked like she would cry. "…Makoto-chan, what happened to you…?"

Makoto gritted her teeth. "…I fail one mission and Chihaya nearly burns me straight through. I fail a second mission and she almost kills me. I fail during this battle? She'll turn me to ash before I can counter her attacks. I can't afford to fail anymore! I won't fail! I CAN'T fail! I'm Kikuchi Makoto, the Ice Queen of Turiavita, and I will never again allow myself to fail, especially not to weaklings like you!" The ice around both girls tightened enough to make them bleed in some places. Yayoi started to sob. Azusa sniffled loudly, her eyes glistening.

"…Makoto-chan, you're crying too," Azusa realized. "…you're still…so lonely, aren't you?"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Azusa let her head drop at the same time Dark Makoto collapsed onto her knees.

"…I'm not…I'm not weak," the Ice Witch breathed. "I'm not weak like you. I'm…I'm strong…"

"If you're really strong, you can stand up to Dark Chihaya-san," Yayoi spluttered out. "She's the one…who has hurt you the most."

"Just stop pretending you can help me!" Dark Makoto ordered. She lifted her hands as though she would tighten the ice even more.

"Please stop this, Makoto-chan!" Azusa wailed. "If you kill me, you'll never see your Onee-chan again! Is that really what you want?!"

Dark Makoto only sat there, shaking, obviously very conflicted. Azusa's eyes softened.

"Makoto-chan…if only you knew how much she loves you…"


	14. Chapter the Fourteenth

Chapter the Fourteenth

Chihaya opened her eyes to find herself back at NamukoAcademy on her waterbed. Iori and the twins were standing guard around her. The Grand Mage sat up slowly, then screamed in pain and collapsed again. Her legs burned, she could barely feel her arms, and everything felt like it was on fire. She struggled to remember what happened.

"The others are still with Turiavita," Iori announced. "We were losing, so…so the twins and I absorbed the fire around you and brought you home."

"Where is…Dark Chihaya?" Chihaya ordered.

"She chased after us as we retreated. Seems she didn't have enough fun," Iori hissed. "We'll protect you, Chihaya, so you just rest. As soon as Azusa gets back I'm having her treat those burns."

_Burns…_ "…what if Dark Chihaya tries to burn down the academy?!" Chihaya gasped, shooting up again. Iori whirled towards her and forced her to lie down, then faced the door again.

"She might," the Flame Mage said quietly. "But if she does, we'll bring in all the flames and save this place. It's OK."

Chihaya nodded, assured. Through the pain and her worry, she found it impossible to get to sleep, but she took Iori's advice and allowed herself to relax.

*.*.*.*

There was a good side to fighting Karasu using powers, and a bad side. The good side was that Takane was right; his main strength was in his mind games. The bad side was that Karasu was also right; he was strong in ordinary combat as well.

It seemed that the Shadow Warlock was able to read the mages' (and wizard's) moves before they were made. A boulder from above by Ritsuko was quickly blocked, Takane's nightmare monsters passed right through him, and Hibiki's attacks were simply absorbed. Takane was smart enough to manipulate Karasu's attacks right back at him, which were usually either absorbed or sent back at Takane. Hibiki was using her speed to dodge around, and Ritsuko relied heavily on stone shields.

"This is ridiculous!" Ritsuko shouted. "It's like he's impossible to hit!"

"You asked for a real fight," Karasu sighed. He sent an arrow flying at Ritsuko's unguarded face, which quickly lodged itself in her cheek. She groaned, half in pain and half in annoyance.

"We didn't realize ya were actually TALENTED!" Hibiki whined. She rushed over to Ritsuko to aid her with removing the shadow arrow.

"I'm second-in-command in Turiavita, I HAVE to be talented."

"Ah, shut up."

Hibiki slowly absorbed the arrow into her body, leaving Ritsuko's cheek object-free though still bleeding. The Stone Mage cursed under her breath and worked to think up a strategy.

"You're the genius," Hibiki hissed into her ear. "Got any plans? I can't do much 'cause of my weak heart, and Takane's attacks are just absorbed…"

"…but when I crushed him beneath my stone earlier, he was hurt…" Ritsuko looked over at Takane and whistled sharply to get her attention. The Shadow Mage looked away from her duel with Karasu and teleported over to the others.

"We have a plan?" she guessed.

Ritsuko nodded. "Either get him still or get him underground. I'm the only one who can hurt him, but if he keeps dodging I can't even hit him."

Takane nodded. "Hibiki, do you think you can keep him occupied?"

"Ya man be a distraction? No problemo, Takane. I got this."

Ritsuko nodded. "Now hurry!"

"Planning a strategy? How cute," Karasu purred. "You do know it's impossible for you to win, right?"

"We've made you retreat once," Ritsuko said smoothly. "We can do it again."

"I was just following orders," Karasu sighed. "Three against one is easy for me."

"Chihaya almost crushed ya in ice!" Hibiki snapped. "Don't act so tough! You're just as weak as the rest o' us!"

Karasu winced, but he quickly regained his composure and faced Hibiki. "I could have easily gotten out of that," he insisted.

"Then why didn't ya?" Hibiki challenged. "And Ritsuko's stones coulda killed ya! Face it, ya ain't as invincible as ya think ya are."

_Perfect,_ Ritsuko silently praised the darkness wizard. _As stoic as he seems, Karasu is just as vulnerable to mind games as we are. And if there's one thing that can really get on his nerves, it's doubting his power. Hibiki'll have him locked on her in seconds._

"I can beat you all with one hand tied behind my back," Karasu bragged.

"I'll accept that challenge," Takane declared.

"Takane, stay outta this."

"…yes."

Karasu only laughed. "You girls are tough."

"Yup," Hibiki agreed proudly. "Now c'mon! Ya gonna fight me or not?! If ya can't even take down a heavily-weakened wizard, how're ya gonna beat Ritsuko or Takane?"

"You're starting to get on my nerves," Karasu nearly hissed, his usual smirk now replaced with a deep scowl.

"Aw, am I?" Hibiki cooed. She grinned. "An' here I thought annoyance wasn't even part of your emotion set."

"What are you trying to do, anyways?"

"I'm jus' an injured wizard lettin' ya know that ya suck," Hibiki stated. She smirked. "Catch me if ya can, Hotshot."

"That's it!" Seemingly enraged for likely the first time ever, Karasu leapt after Hibiki and fired shot after shot at the young wizard. Hibiki laughed and dodged every one using her natural agility. Takane watched them, waiting for the perfect moment. When she was sure the furious warlock was focused only on the constantly-taunting Hibiki, Takane opened up a vortex in the ground beneath where the two were fighting. Both bickering dark-users plunged into the ground below. Ritsuko thought fast and used her Rune Eyes to pack them in solid stone. She was just about to force the stone in when she remembered; Hibiki was trapped in the stone as well.

Takane noticed her confliction and went to her side. "Why are you waiting?" she prompted. "Hurry, or he will escape!"

"…Hibiki's in there," Ritsuko said quietly. "She doesn't have the ability to pass through solid object, especially not my stone. She's so close to Karasu that if I get rid of the stone around her and we let her out, there's a big chance he could get out too. So, in other words, I can either release them both or…or kill them both."

Takane was silent.

"…I have to pick something soon," Ritsuko muttered. "I can feel him struggling. He'll get out in a few minutes."

"Hibiki has lived a good life," Takane breathed. "We need to end this now."

"How could you say that?!" Ritsuko gasped. "I can't crush Hibiki!"

"She will never become a mage!" Takane snapped back. "She has served us well, but this is what Hibiki would want! Because of your Rune Eyes, your stone is solid enough to crush Karasu even if he tries to use his powers to escape. You need to do it now!"

"Whether she'll be a mage or not is beside the point!" Ritsuko cried. "I thought you loved Hibiki! She's your STUDENT! How can you be OK with sacrificing her life like this?!"

"I never said that I was," Takane whispered through gritted teeth. "But I know Hibiki. I know that she would prefer dying to rid our academy of one of our greatest threats than a natural death when she grows old one day. You must crush them both. Releasing them will solve nothing."

Ritsuko didn't speak for a moment. She seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she reached up and adjusted her glasses with a sigh. "…I know what I have to do," she said quietly.

Takane dipped her head.

And then, despite Takane's warnings, the Stone Mage got rid of the stone ground and waited for Takane to pull Hibiki out of the floor. Karasu immediately burst from the ground, and Takane allowed herself time for a small gasp before she softened the ground with her shadows and yanked Hibiki out as well. The darkness wizard gasped for breath.

"Ritsuko!" both dark-users lashed at once.

Ritsuko clenched her fists and remained silent.

Karasu brushed the dirt off his robe before looking over at her. "…you could have killed me," he realized.

"I would have killed Hibiki too," Ritsuko murmured. "I couldn't do it."

"Why not?" Karasu continued. "She's near useless since her powers will never advance."

"That may be true, but she is our wizard, and we love her!" Ritsuko yelled. "We are a team, Karasu, and that is something you will never understand, but…we're like a family. NamukoAcademy does not leave anyone behind!"

"Ritsuko…" Hibiki grinned. "…well, gosh, when ya put it like that, I can't be mad. I woulda preferred that ya kill us both, but…you're right. We don't leave anyone behind."

Karasu looked thoughtful. "How sweet," he commented. "It almost makes me want to spare you. Almost."

Without warning, another arrow of shadows suddenly appeared just above Karasu's right shoulder and fired itself straight into Takane's right eye. Takane screamed and stumbled back, clutching her eye in agony. Hibiki and Ritsuko cried out in shock and joined her.

Karasu nodded to himself. "Well, I think that'll teach you enough of a lesson," he decided. "I'll be off, then. I suggest you gather the rest of your troops and leave before I come back to finish you off." With that, the Phantom Sadist vanished into the air, leaving behind the NamukoAcademy residents to tend to Takane. Ritsuko hissed and Hibiki cursed.

"…we have to go home and take care of her," Ritsuko declared. "Come on. Let's go."

"Ya should've killed 'im when ya had the chance!" Hibiki shouted. "Why didn't ya kill 'im?!"

"Because I can't hurt you," Ritsuko answered. "…I can't hurt you, Hibiki."

Hibiki's eyes softened. "…whatever," she huffed. "Let's just go home."

*.*.*.*

Riffa tapped her last remaining axe on her hand. "You guys are really bad at this game."

Makoto just sat there on the floor, panting, Yukiho knelt beside her. There were axes lodged in the walls where Makoto's last-minute bursts of wind had sent them. Yukiho whimpered.

"I need you to get on the other side of the door now," Makoto hissed. "Leave me here. I'll take care of things."

"What if you can't get out of the way in time?" Yukiho breathed. "…I…I'll crush you…"

Makoto smiled grimly. "That's a risk we just have to take," she said quietly. Yukiho sniffled. She rose to her feet slowly. "Go on, now. We can't waste any more time."

"…Makoto-chan—"

"And besides, if I die, we get rid of Dark Makoto too. She's our biggest threat right now."

"But—"

"Just go already!"

Yukiho sniffled again and wiped her eyes. She offered a quick nod before slowly backing towards the door. Riffa started to turn towards her, but Makoto sent a gust of wind down on her that forced her to the ground. Yukiho quickly slipped out into the hallway, casting Makoto one last pained glance, while Riffa struggled to stand up. As soon as Makoto was sure Yukiho was safely in the hallway, she allowed Riffa to stand.

The darkness witch dusted off her dress and scowled at Makoto. "She ran away," she announced, as if Makoto didn't realize Yukiho had gone.

"That's fine," Makoto panted. "I've always liked one-on-one more anyways."

"It doesn't bother you?" Riffa bent and picked up her axe. "…well, whatever, I'm about to win. It's been fun, huh?"

"It sure has." Makoto smiled sadly and leaned against the back of the wall. "Think you could honor a dying mage's last request?"

"That kinda depends on what the request is."

"All I want you to do is take two steps to the right."

Riffa blinked and tilted her head, confused. After a moment, she shrugged and did what Makoto had asked. "Hey, I get a straight shot at you from here!"

"Yukiho, NOW!"

"W-what…?!"

Before Riffa had time to question what was happening, her door suddenly flew off its hinges and slammed into her back. She let out a loud scream, the still-moving door keeping her hurtling towards the wall. If the young witch couldn't find a way out, she'd be crushed.

Makoto chuckled and glanced at the floor. "Nice work, Yukiho," she whispered, the door only inches from her body. Riffa screeched in fear.

And then, after the sickening sound of breaking bone, and the sight of crimson blood trickling down the wall, Yukiho slowly stepped back inside, her arms lifted in front of her, tears cascading freely down her pale cheeks.

"…Makoto-chan?" she whimpered. She waited for a response that didn't come. "…Makoto-chan, please come out…"

There was still no response. Hoping to confirm whether her best friend had really been crushed or not, Yukiho used her jetstream to slowly push the door off the wall. She revealed a mess of blood, a stained white dress, and a few shattered pieces of bone. There was no evidence that Makoto was alive or dead, but Yukiho knew that Riffa had definitely been defeated.

"Makoto-chan!" Yukiho called. "Come out already, please! Makoto-chan!"

More silence, silence so thick and heavy that it seemed to weigh on Yukiho's shoulders like a giant sack. She slowly fell to her knees and brought her hands to her face. All she could think to do through her sobs was to cry out Makoto's name, over and over, wishing desperately that the Wind Mage would emerge from wherever she was hiding soon so they could go home.

Makoto was alive. She had to be alive. Yukiho wouldn't go home unless she was alive.

"…Makoto-chan…"

*.*.*.*

No one said a word as Dark Makoto sat on her knees, trembling, her hands up towards the blocks of ice that held Yayoi and Azusa. At this point, the Ice Witch was merely planning on freezing them to death, it seemed; the ice was no longer tightening around their bodies, but it seemed to be getting colder with each passing minute.

"…so this is how it ends, isn't it," Azusa murmured sadly. "I thought we would be able to reason with you, Makoto-chan…"

Dark Makoto didn't respond, and for the first time, Azusa noticed how ragged her breathing was. The water wizard cocked her head.

"…Makoto-chan?"

Dark Makoto suddenly dropped her hands to the floor and coughed violently, sprinkles of blood flying out of her mouth. The ice around Yayoi and Azusa melted almost instantly, and Yayoi fled to the door while Azusa rushed to Dark Makoto's side.

"Makoto-chan, what's wrong?!" Azusa gasped. Dark Makoto gritted her teeth.

"…something happened to my light copy," she hissed. "I can feel it."

"You man Makoto-san?" Yayoi confirmed. "…o-oh no…! A-Azusa-san, hurry, we need to go check on her—"

"I won't leave Makoto-chan," Azusa said firmly, sliding her arm around Dark Makoto's shoulders. The Ice Witch gasped for breath and let out a loud cry of pain, sinking further towards the ground. "Is the other Makoto-chan dead? Do you know?"

"Can't…tell," Dark Makoto coughed out. "…just…go to her."

"You're dying!"

"So what?!"

"So, I care about you, and no person deserves to die alone!"

Dark Makoto collapsed to the side and curled up into a ball, holding her knees tightly against her chest. "…c-crap," she muttered. "Just…get out. Get out of here."

"I'm not laving you," Azusa insisted.

Yayoi frowned. "Azusa-san, we have to go save Makoto-san!"

"If she's this far gone, she's beyond saving," Azusa decided, her eyes sad. "But if you want to go, you can. I'm going to stay here with Makoto-chan."

"But our Makoto-san is in danger! Dark Makoto-san will be saved if we can protect our Makoto-san!"

"There's nothing you can do," Dark Makoto snapped. She hoisted herself up on her elbow to cough some more before continuing. "…dark copies don't…recover from injuries like the light copies do. Even…even if you manage to save that girl, it'll already be too late for me."

"I don't believe that," Yayoi admitted. "…don't you worry, Dark Makoto-san, Azusa-san. I-I'll go get help!" With that said, Yayoi raced out the door and into the hallways to begin her search for help.

Dark Makoto lowered herself back down to the ground. Azusa crouched over her protectively. Dark Makoto gazed up at her, her eyes glazed over with anguish. "…you should go too."

"I'm not leaving you," Azusa repeated. "Since Dark Azusa isn't here right now, you'll have to make do with me. I know it isn't exactly the same, but it's close enough, right?"

"Why do you care?" Dark Makoto nearly sobbed. Her eyes seemed to focus on something interesting on the ceiling.

Azusa shrugged. "Everyone deserves to have someone who cares about them. I am that person for you. Me, and Dark Azusa, and Yayoi-chan. We all care about you, as a person. I know you're just hurt and upset about all of this, so I want to help you recover. I want to help you become the girl you once were. And if I can't do that, then…I can at least be there with you when you die."

Dark Makoto seemed too deep in thought (and too far into death) to say anything else. Azusa stared at her for a few seconds before lying down curled around her, her cheek resting on the younger girl's. Dark Makoto drew in more deep breaths and slid her hand onto Azusa's. Azusa smiled.

"It'll all be alright soon," Azusa murmured. "I promise."

"…thank you," Dark Makoto breathed. Azusa giggled.

Those words were the last ones Dark Makoto spoke before her eyes closed.


	15. Chapter the Fifteenth

Chapter the Fifteenth

Chihaya yawned and sat up. "Flame Mage?"

"I'm here, Chihaya," Iori responded, seated on the edge of Chihaya's bed. Chihaya rubbed her eyes.

"Is the battle over?" she asked groggily. "Did I fall asleep?"  
"Yeah, everything's over. You slept a bit. Everyone's home now, and Azusa took care of your burns while you were asleep."

"Status report," Chihaya demanded.

Iori nodded. "Takane lost her right eye, but Ritsuko-san figured out a way to kill Karasu."

Chihaya smiled.

"Riffa is dead."

Her smile widened.

"…and Makoto…"

Her smile vanished. "…what happened?"

Iori looked down. "…I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Is she dead or alive?!"

"We don't know yet. But she survived the attack that killed Riffa. Yukiho found her passed out in a rafter. We think she blasted herself out of the way at the last second and lost consciousness while up in the ceiling. Yukiho lowered her down and brought her home. She has a huge gash in her chest that could be fatal. She hasn't woken up yet and she's pretty cold, so…we're thinking she'll die soon."

Chihaya nodded sadly. "How was Miki's mission?"

"She just walked downstairs, invited Mondenkind to join forces with us, waited for all of them to say 'yes', then came home. She's perfectly fine and Mondenkind seems to be on good terms with us."

"Did Dark Chihaya attack?"

"No. I think she went back to the castle when she realized she couldn't follow us any further. She can't fly, you know."

Chihaya nodded slowly again. "…and what of Takatsuki-san and Azusa-san?"

Iori looked up. "Well…they're both fine, but Azusa in particular seems kinda shaken up," she informed the Grand Mage. "Yayoi was crying earlier. I think something happened, but neither of them want to talk about it yet."

Chihaya let out a loud sigh and collapsed back onto her bed. "Overall, was it a successful mission?" she questioned.

Iori shrugged. "Well, if Makoto dies we'll have knocked out one of our greatest enemies. Mondenkind is all on our side, we know how to hurt the ever-evasive Karasu, and Riffa's dead. Sure, we might lose a Wind Mage and Takane can't see as well anymore, but I'd say it was pretty successful," she decided.

Chihaya didn't speak.

"…Grand Mage?"

"Can I speak with Azusa-san?"

Iori blinked. "Well…sure. I can go get her."

"Please. And Hagiwara-san too. And…and Takatsuki-san."

Iori nodded diligently and stood up. She said a few words to the twins, who had been standing guard the whole time, and then walked out into the hallway to retrieve the wizards Chihaya had requested.

Chihaya waited until Iori returned with Yayoi, Azusa, and Yukiho. All three looked especially downtrodden. Chihaya sat up and beckoned them to come forwards. She dismissed the twins and Iori, who bowed slightly and then wandered out. Chihaya folded her hands on her lap.

"…how is the Wind Mage?" she asked.

Yukiho looked down. "Not well," she admitted quietly. "I…don't think she'll make it."

Chihaya nodded. "It will be hard to replace her," she muttered. "You'll have to wok extra hard, Hagiwara-san."

Yukiho nodded back solemnly. "…y-yes, Chihaya-chan."

Chihaya looked over at the other two wizards. "Alright, what's bothering you?" she demanded.

Yayoi sniffled. Azusa looked away.

"Azusa-san, Takatsuki-san…ordinarily you two are always smiling! Tell me what happened. Did you succeed?"

"…I don't know," Azusa sighed. "But…"

"We think Dark Makoto-san has died," Yayoi said slowly. "Azusa-san was there with her. It was because of Makoto-san's injury."

"Still, I think we might have broken through to her, if not just a little bit," Azusa murmured. "She looked so sad while she was dying, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her."

Chihaya looked over at one of her stained glass windows. "Do you know for sure that she is dead?"

"Well…not exactly," Yayoi remarked. "I mean, she was coughing up blood and stuff, and her eyes were closed, and I don't think she was breathing but neither of us stopped to check."

"So she may still be alive."

"It's unlikely," Azusa began, "but it's possible."

Chihaya grunted. "This is frustrating," she announced. "…I want you to keep me updated on Makoto's injuries. Let me know if she recovers, or if…or if she passes. If she dies, we'll know that Dark Makoto has died too. Have our best medical team on the job."

"Yes, Grand Mage," the three wizards chanted. Yukiho stood and bowed to Chihaya before exiting. Yayoi slowly followed her. Azusa stayed behind.

"…Chihaya-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I really hope the Makoto-chans live." Azusa smiled, which seemed to put Chihaya more at-ease. The bluenette water wizard rose to her feet and waved goodbye to Chihaya before she followed the others out the door.

Free of pain and some of her worries, Chihaya allowed herself to drift into sleep. She hoped for a vision, something that would show her what Turiavita was up to now that the NamukoAcademy invasion was over. Luckily for her, she got what she asked for.


	16. Chapter the Sixteenth

Chapter the Sixteenth

Dark Chihaya kicked the desk in frustration. "If she had been here, I could have chased them down, you know."

"She was DYING, cut her some slack," Karasu muttered, seated by a monitor displaying Makoto's quarters. The weakened witch had been laid in her bed and made as comfortable as possible while the other members of Turiavita waited for her passing. Karasu had originally intended to stay in the room with her, but had been dragged out by a jealous Chihaya who thought he cared too much for Makoto.

"Don't take that tone with me," Chihaya snapped.

"…yes, Mistress."

Chihaya rolled her eyes. "This is so frustrating…I almost had them."

"And to think, we lost two fighters and they only lost one…" Karasu sighed. "They're certainly strong."

"They're nothing special," Chihaya scoffed.

"You say that now, but how will we fare with our best warrior gone?"

Chihaya stood up abruptly, knocking down her chair in the process. There was a fire in her eyes, a fire of fury, as she whirled towards her mate and yanked on the collar of his robe so he had to face her. "_I _am our best warrior!" she thundered. "_I _am our strongest witch! _I _am the Grand Witch of Flame, Dark Kisaragi Chihaya, and there is NO ONE whose skills are higher than mine! Don't you DARE treat her like she's something special! She's completely disposable, do you understand?! You're ALL completely disposable! All I need is…" Chihaya trailed off when she saw that Karasu's usual amused smirk was no where to be found. She rarely saw him make this kind of impression, unless he was cornered, stressed, or worse—angry.

"…you'll wrinkle my collar," Karasu said evenly, his expression not changing. Chihaya gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on his robe. "…Chihaya—"

"All I need is you," Chihaya finished quietly. She let her head tilt down slightly, her eyes locked on the sight of Karasu's lips so close to her own. "…all I need is you."

Karasu gazed down at her head, watching it tilt slowly onto his shoulder. He felt Chihaya release his robe in favor of sliding her arms around his neck. He remained still. "If that's how you feel, you could have just said so," he murmured.

Chihaya growled. "You don't even care about me, do you?"

"Now, now, you're being ridiculous." Karasu smiled at last and moved his arms around his mate, holding her against him. "I never said that."

"But you never said you did."

"You never gave me a chance." Karasu sighed. "Chihaya, you're overreacting, alright? You need to recognize that Makoto is extremely powerful, powerful enough to control even your flames. And she's going to die. Are you really okay with that?"

Chihaya sniffled. "As long as you're okay, I don't care what happens to the others."

Karasu seemed amused. "Are you crying?"

"I'm not crying! I just…have something in my eye!"

"That is the lamest excuse in the book, sweetheart." Karasu chuckled. "Who knew you were still capable of shedding tears…"

"Like you never mess up," Chihaya lashed. "Everyone thinks you're completely calm all the time, but I've seen you get angry."

"Everyone gets angry sometimes, some people just do it more than others. Like you."

"Oh, shut up…"

Karasu chuckled again, slowly bringing in shadows from all directions to hide to pair from sight. "You're restless again. I can feel it."

"Then make it stop." Chihaya pulled away from Karasu's chest and looked up. He smirked at her.

"As you wish…" There was a pause as Karasu slowly leaned in for a quick kiss. "…Mistress."

Chihaya smiled slightly and made a small noise of approval, moving up again for a longer, deeper kiss. The two got so wrapped up in making out that neither of them noticed Makoto slowly stand up and move around, then walk out of her quarters towards a random destination.

*.*.*.*

The Ice Mage slowly blinked open her eyes and sat up, slightly disturbed but satisfied nonetheless. Her vision had, in a way, shown her what she needed to see; that Dark Chihaya had a soft spot just like everyone else, and that Dark Makoto was alive and well. Which meant…

"Chihaya-chan!"

A wild Yukiho ran into the room and leapt on top of Chihaya, forcing her back onto her bed with a flying tackle-hug. Chihaya grunted in surprise and listened as Yukiho sobbed and laughed and sobbed some more into her shoulder. She smiled.

"Makoto is safe."

"She's safe! She woke up, and she was alive, and Miki-chan was able to infuse her very soul with light to keep her alive, and Ritsuko-san sealed the injury, and it was so great, and…oh, Chihaya-chan! I-I'm so happy!"

Chihaya smiled wider. "Are her lungs alright? Intact? Bleeding? Can she breathe properly?"

"Yes. Makoto-chan says that her ribs stopped the axe from reaching her lungs, since it wasn't quite as sharp as a real axe. It was made of darkness, after all. We were right when we speculated she'd blasted herself to safety at the last second. She's really alright, Chihaya-chan, and I just can't believe it…"

Chihaya chuckled slightly. "…we have to keep in mind that this means Dark Makoto is alive and well also. She seems to be planning something of her own, but…I'm not entirely sure what…"

"What do you mean?"

"I had a vision. It focused on Dark Chihaya, but she was stationed by a monitor that showed Dark Makoto. I saw her stand up and walk out of her room. I don't know where she's going, but it's probably just to the control room to receive instructions."

"Ah."

Yukiho slowly slid off of Chihaya and bowed graciously. Chihaya grinned.

"Tell Makoto I'm glad she's alive."

"I-I will."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Yukiho bowed deeply again, her face in a wide grin, then turned and ran out of the room to find her friend. Chihaya looked up at the ceiling.

"…I really am glad you're alive," she murmured. "Wind Mage."


	17. Chapter the Seventeenth

Chapter the Seventeenth

There was a light knock on the door to Dark Azusa's room. At first, the Stone Witch was skeptical—"who could be visiting me at this hour?"—but then she slowly crossed the room and opened the door, and she understood exactly what was going on.

"…have you come to complete a mission?" she asked the cloaked girl at her door. "…Makoto?"

Makoto said nothing; she just stared at the floor. Azusa cocked her head.

"Makoto?" she whispered.

"…please let me in," Makoto muttered. Azusa blinked. "Please" wasn't usually a part of Makoto's vocabulary.

"…alright," she invited, stepping aside to let her previous housemate inside. Makoto fell silent again, stepping into the room and sliding off her cloak before taking a seat on the couch. Azusa watched her, fairly certain that this was all some sort of trap and that any second now, Makoto would spring from the couch and slit her throat with icy claws.

But the young Ice Witch didn't say a word, or move an inch; she just sat. Eventually, Azusa let her guard down and sat next to her.

"Why did you come back here?" she asked.

Makoto snorted. "That's some welcome."

"…I thought you said you never wanted to see me again."

"I might have lied." Makoto looked up from the apparently intriguing floor and over at Azusa. For a second, Azusa thought she could see a smile on Makoto's lips.

_But that's impossible, _she reminded herself. She hadn't seen Makoto make a face even close to a smile since the accident seven years ago. _…isn't it?_

Makoto moved a bit closer to her and Azusa found herself scooting away, not quite ready to accept the fact that her "little sister" had completely reformed. Makoto's maybe-a-smile grew a bit, seeming more and more sarcastic with every millimeter it grew.

"That's just like you," she said quietly. "Running away and leaving me to do all the work."

Azusa's eyes softened. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she admitted. "I thought you would be safe. I thought no one could hurt you. I knew you were strong—"

"That's no excuse!"

Azusa flinched away on instinct when Makoto whirled on her, fury radiated in her ice-blue gaze. The older woman found herself covering her body in thick stone in case Makoto tried to hurt her. Stone Witch and Ice Witch stared at each other until Makoto did the most unexpected thing in the world.

She burst into a loud laugh.

Azusa watched her, realizing how forced the laugh sounded. She didn't bother saying a word until Makoto had calmed down.

"Makoto, are you alright…"

"You really think I'm here to hurt you?!" Makoto laughed. "Onee-chan…you really are an idiot, you know…"

"What reason do I have to believe that you wouldn't hurt me?" Azusa replied evenly.

"Well, for starters, I'm the only one of us who actually CARED about the other in this relationship."

"How dare you say that!" Azusa gasped, rising to her feet, her eyes narrowed in anger. "I looked after you for a good fifteen years of your life! Do you really think I didn't love you?!"

"If you loved me, you would have protected me!" Makoto snapped, jumping to her feet. Azusa clenched her fists.

"I did everything I could," she said. "You're the one that ruined things by refusing to forgive me."

"I could have DIED!" Makoto near-sobbed.

"And I'm glad you didn't," Azusa added softly, reaching for Makoto's hands. Makoto let her hold them for a few seconds before yanking them back and plopping back on the couch. Azusa stared at her. "…Makoto—"

"I trusted you," Makoto mumbled. "I…I loved you. And you let me down."

"What choice did I have?!"  
"Well, you could have chosen to stay by my side and fight with me! Instead, you ran away like a coward!" Makoto covered her face with her hands. "Don't you know…don't you know that I would have preferred dying in your arms to living without you?"

Azusa opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it when she heard Makoto's light sobs. She was silent for a few more minutes, watching Makoto tremble and cry, before she slowly took a seat next to her again.

"I'm sorry," she said at last. "…I didn't realize you felt that way. I should have fought by your side."

"I failed a mission for you," Makoto sniffled. "Did you know that killing a light copy kills their dark copy also?"

Azusa shook her head. "No, I didn't know that."

"Kisaragi sent me to kill the water wizard. I couldn't do it." Makoto looked up and over at Azusa. "Because I couldn't hurt you."

"I thought you hated me," Azusa said cheekily.

"…I don't," Makoto admitted softly. "…I…I never did."

Azusa frowned and slid her arms around Makoto, pulling the girl against her chest. Makoto broke into sobs again and hugged her close. Azusa smiled.

"You're still just a little girl, after all…huh?"

"I missed you," Makoto wailed. "I missed you too much, so I came back. That's why I'm here."

"You've grown soft, haven't you?"

"…you could say that." The Ice Queen let out a small hiss. "…this is all their fault. Those people I'm forced to cooperate with. It's all their fault."

Azusa smiled wider. "So, in short, you're still a strong fighter because you hate them, not because you hate me."

"I don't hate you, but I don't think I'll ever get over being mad," Makoto corrected. "…I just wish you'd done more to show me that you actually cared whether I lived or died."

"I fed you and provided you a place to sleep."

"So does Turiavita, but you don't see me thanking them."

"You aren't exactly innocent either, you know." Azusa chuckled and rubbed Makoto's back gently. "I missed you too, Makoto-chan."

"…thank you."

"You're welcome…" Azusa trailed off. "…that's odd…"

"What?"

"I feel…strange." Azusa winced. "My…my chest is burning…M-Makoto, what are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything!" Makoto swore.

"Then why…" Azusa trailed off and let out a loud scream. She clutched Makoto even closer. Makoto snuggled against her. "…what's…"

Makoto was quiet for a moment, listening to her Onee-chan's heavy breathing. It was when Azusa seemed to collapse against Makoto and let out a loud cry of pain that Makoto realized what was happening.

"…no…"

Azusa coughed, and a sprinkle of blood flew out of her mouth. "…Makoto?"

"NO!" Makoto le out a loud wail and clenched her fists against Azusa's back, holding the older woman as close as possible. Azusa coughed again and drew in gasps of air.

"Makoto, what's happening?" she wheezed.

Makoto screamed in agonized sorrow. "It's that d*mned Flame Witch!"

"What…?"  
"She must have killed the water wizard! The other Miura Azusa is dying!"

Azusa was silent for a moment. "…that means—" She broke off and coughed, clinging desperately to Makoto like the girl was a lifeline. "That means…I'll die too."

Makoto didn't speak.

Azusa looked down sadly. "…Makoto-chan, it'll be alright," she soothed. "You'll meet someone…someone else who will take care of you. It's...going to be fine…" She cried out in pain and fell almost completely limp. Makoto continued to embrace her and sob loudly into her chest.

"I'll kill her!" she decided. "I'll murder that witch one day! SHE'S the one I need to get revenge on! SHE'S the one that ruined my life!"

"They'll hear you," Azusa hissed.

"I don't care anymore!" Makoto yelled. "How could she do this?! She promised me that if anyone was going to kill you, it'd be me!"

"You wouldn't—"

"I wouldn't." Makoto gritted her teeth. "…it…it's alright, you know. I'll avenge you."

"That's not what I want."

"Then what do you want?!"  
Azusa smiled slightly past the pain in her chest. "…I want you…to be happy." She coughed again and gulped in as much air as possible.

Makoto began to shake. "Killing her would make me happy."

"If that's the case…then I guess…" Azusa trailed off. "…I'm going to die soon."

"I know," Makoto sobbed.

"…listen to me, alright?"

"I'm listening…Onee-chan."

"…I love you, Makoto-chan. I've always loved you. I love you very much."

Makoto sniffled. "I love you too."

"Please, please take care…" Azusa paused to scream in agony. "…take care of yourself, Makoto-chan."

"Don't leave me!" Makoto begged. "I just got you back again! You can't go!"

"It's alright…Makoto." Azusa smiled and let her eyes close. "As long as I know you still love me…I'll die happy."

"Onee-chan…!"

"Goodbye, Makoto. Thank you for coming back."

"Wait…!"

The order came just a second too late. Makoto's final word to her precious sister was masked by the shuddering sigh of the woman's last breath. Makoto sat still for a moment as Azusa's arms dropped from around her, refusing to believe what had just happened. And yet, the longer she sat there bearing Azusa's weight on her shoulders, hearing not a single heartbeat from her place squished against the Stone Mage's body, the harder it got for her to deny the fact that Dark Azusa had just died.

Makoto had finally reconciled with this woman she loved so much, and now she had been whisked away forever. There would be no forgiveness for such a heinous act.

The door creaked behind her, and Makoto growled.

"I don't care who you are, just get away from us!" she screamed. The sound of footsteps approaching did not stop, however, and Makoto soon found herself with a hand on her shoulder. She whacked it away. "I said, GET AWAY!"

"You should have been more careful, you know."

Makoto recognized the voice as Karasu's. She fought the urge to impale him in the brain with a spear of ice.

"If Chihaya had been around to hear what you just said, I don't think she would have been very happy."

"Get out," Makoto hissed.

"I won't tell her anything." Karasu took a seat on the bed on Makoto's other side. "…Makoto, come here."

"No!" Makoto snapped. "You let her do this! You must have brought her there yourself! You LET her kill my Onee-chan!"

"I thought it was what you wanted."

"You don't know everything, alright?! Just leave me alone!"

"I know you don't want that," Karasu murmured. A small shadow materialized over the lens of the camera to hide any and all emotional conversations from Chihaya. "Makoto, come on."

"Forget it," Makoto muttered. "I really hate you. I really hate you both."

"Well, if you choose to cut ties with Turiavita, we could always kill you now," Karasu explained. "That way you could be with her again."

"Just shut up, alright?! This isn't one of your twisted games!"

"I never said it was," Karasu sighed. "Makoto, put her down."

"No."

"You can't hold onto her forever."

"I could have if you hadn't killed…" Makoto trailed off. "…oh my…you killed the water wizard too?!"

"So now you care about that one too? You're just betraying us left and right, aren't you?"

Makoto suddenly shoved Azusa back onto the couch, whirled towards Karasu, and punched him in the face as hard as she could. The Shadow Warlock let a small gasp escape. Makoto growled.

"Not used to getting hit, are you?" she hissed. "Why don't you just shut up and leave me alone?!"

Karasu said nothing.

"I don't know if you came down here to gloat or what, but if you aren't going to bring her back to life, then you can just leave me alone." The dark-haired witch stood up and started towards the door. Before she'd passed him completely, Karasu grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her into a hug. Makoto screeched in annoyance and struggled against him.

"For the record," he began, "I _did_ try to stop her."

Makoto stopped squirming.

"…I'm sorry this happened, Makoto," Karasu breathed. "You know I really do care about you."

"I don't believe that," Makoto lashed.

"I knew you wouldn't," Karasu chuckled. "…look, how about just for me, you stick around for a little longer. Once the light magicians are dead, you can kill us as brutally as you want. And if you try to kill us before it's time, I'll sneak away and kill your light copy. You'll suffer the same way you did on that night."

"You're horrible," Makoto choked out.

Karasu seemed proud. "I know." He felt the Ice Queen relax in his arms and smirked.

"…I'm not staying in Turiavita for you," she said quietly. "It just isn't the right time to turn against you yet."

"Good choice, dear Ice Queen," Karasu murmured into her ear.

"But I still hate you."

"Good. It'll keep you strong." Karasu released her and Makoto rose to her feet. The two of them stared at each other for a while. Finally, Makoto let out a long sigh and reached up to tuck a stray clump of hair behind her ear.

"I'm going to go around and get some stuff from this place to bring to my room."

"You mean like that crab pillow on your floor?"

"…shut up."

"How cute, Makoto-chan. You still sleep with stuffed toys."

"I-I said shut up…!"

"Aw, you're blushing~"

"I am SO killing you first."

Karasu chuckled and waited for the embarrassed Ice Witch to finish collecting her things (things that did, in fact, include a stuffed crab) before he led her outside and back to her room. Makoto went inside and lay on her bed, then tried to get some sleep to recover from her trauma. Karasu promised to keep her secret and to take care of her sister's body, then sent her off to sleep with a light kiss on the cheek. Makoto swatted at him in annoyance before returning to snuggling with her pillow and trying to get a decent amount of sleep.

Karasu slid out of her room and closed the door, fully expecting the Flame Witch behind him. "I take it you saw that."

"Not all of it." Chihaya smiled. "Did she get my present?"

"She was devastated. Nice work."

"She deserved it for betraying us." Chihaya looked up at the ceiling. "And she thinks you actually care about her."

Karasu smirked. "She's emotionally weak. It was easy," he responded. "And now, our real plan can finally go into action…"

Chihaya nodded. "To set the entire NamukoAcademy building ablaze…"

"Cover the place in a darkness so thick, not even the Sun Mage is able to see through it," Karasu added, complete with a dark chuckle.

"Impale any survivors with a sharp spear of ice." Chihaya laughed. "Those light magicians won't stand a chance."

"Of course not, Mistress."

"Not one will survive…" Chihaya grinned evilly. "Not even Makoto."


	18. Chapter the Eighteenth

Chapter the Eighteenth

Yayoi's door slowly creaked open. The young ginger wizard looked away from her checkers games with Miki to see Iori in the doorway. Yayoi waved and Iori stepped inside.

"Sun Mage. Out," she demanded.

"But Miki is busy playing a game with her student! Look, Deko-chan. It's checkers," Miki pointed out, pouting slightly.

"I'll take over for you! Now out!" Iori ordered. Miki frowned, but she sighed and stood up.

"Bossy-boots," she muttered on her way past Iori. Iori huffed in annoyance and took Miki's seat. She continued the game in the Sun Mage's place. Yayoi stared at her.

"…I'm sorry, Iori-chan," the light wizard said at last. Iori moved one of her pawns.

"I said I'd never forgive you if you died," Iori murmured quietly. "…but since you lived, I guess I can forgive you."

Yayoi felt herself tearing up, but she quickly wiped it away. "I do really love you, Iori-chan," she admitted. "You're so friendly and kind, and I know you were just trying to protect me. It's my fault for trying to put Dark Makoto-san ahead of you." She moved a pawn.

Iori examined the board for a moment before performing a double jump with one of her pawns, landing her one space away from being a king. "As long as you admit it," she began slowly, "I guess I can look past your idiocy and become your friend again. Next time, though, make sure to show me that the great Flame Mage Minase Iori-chan is more important to you than a stupid Ice Witch—"

"She's not stupid!" Yayoi cut in. She searched for ways to block Iori from reaching her side of the checkers board. "…honestly, Iori-chan, if you understood her feelings then you'd understand mine."

"She tried to kill you! Like…more than once!" Yayoi's attempted move was unsuccessful. "Now queen me!"

"It's king."

"I am a queen! Queen me!"

Yayoi obeyed. "…I'm not really scared of dying, though," she murmured. "Rather, I'm scared I won't be able to see Iori-chan again."

Iori was silent.

Yayoi made a move and then sighed. "I don't want to leave this academy," she said quietly. "I love training with you guys, and being around such amazing people, and…and I want everyone to be able to have this kind of happiness! That's why I want to be friends with Dark Makoto-san! I want her to be just as happy as me!"

"That's a weird way of thinking." Iori jumped Yayoi's second-to-last pawn with her "queen". "But I guess it's normal for you."

"You can be really mean, Iori-chan," Yayoi whined.

Iori smiled. "I know," she stated. "But you'll forgive me, right?"

Yayoi blinked, then let a smile spread across her lips. "Yeah," she agreed. "I'll forgive you, if you'll forgive me."

"Then it's settled. We're friends."

"Best friends."

Iori giggled. Yayoi grinned. They continued their game of checkers, Yayoi making a surprising comeback and crowning her last remaining pawn. She was just about to enter an intense battle against Iori's first (and last) king (or queen) when the door flew open. Makoto was in the doorway.

"Emergency meeting," she announced solemnly, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Everyone is to gather in the Grand Mage's chamber. Please do so quickly." This said, the Wind Mage turned and zoomed off to the next room. Iori blinked confusedly, then stood and went to the doorway. She waited for Yayoi before both of them walked over to Chihaya's room. When they walked in, they found they were the last ones to arrive. Everyone else looked over and waited for them to get all the way inside before the doors were closed. Makoto and Yukiho were crying, and Chihaya had tears in her eyes as well. The others seemed just as confused as Iori and Yayoi.

"…what's happened, Grand Mage?" Iori called out. Chihaya sniffled and stood up, looking over her fellow magicians with a dignified gaze.

"…Miura Azusa, the water wizard…" Chihaya paused to wipe her eyes. Makoto let out a loud sob and pulled Yukiho in for a hug. The two cried together while Chihaya composed herself before continuing. "…she is dead."

A gasp of alarm and disbelief rippled throughout the room, every gathered magician refusing to believe what they'd heard.

Chihaya waited for the confused murmurs to die down before speaking again. "Makoto found her ashes this afternoon when I sent her to check on my student. We assume that Dark Chihaya snuck in during the night and burned her alive."

"That's impossible!" Hibiki shot out. "Azusa can't be dead!"

"Oh my gosh…" Yayoi lifted her hands to her mouth, utterly shocked. "…oh, o-oh no…poor Dark Makoto-san…!"

"You're worried about her again?!" Iori cried. "Azusa is DEAD! How could we let this happen?!"

"I'm sorry," Chihaya whispered. "I…I'm so sorry, everyone…"

"It's not your fault! Makoto's room is right across from hers, why didn't she do something?!"

"I'm sorry for being a sound sleeper!" Makoto wailed, separating from Yukiho. "You can't blame this on me!"

"You should have saved her!" Iori screamed, salty tears spilling from her eyes like a torrent of rain. "Someone should have saved her! Why didn't we save her?! We're a TEAM! We're supposed to protect one another, but…we let her suffer such a horrible death all alone! WHY WASN'T SOMEONE WITH HER?!"

"Someone was with her," Yayoi breathed. "With the other her, at least. She didn't die alone."

Iori was quiet for a minute. "…You mean—"

"I think Azusa-san died happy," Yayoi continued. "After all, in the end, Dark Makoto-san went back to her. I'm sure she did."

Iori gritted her teeth and slapped her hand across Yayoi's face. A few magicians gasped, Yayoi herself included. Nobody moved as Iori glared angrily at her friend and Yayoi simply stood still, surprised.

"Would you shut up already?!" Iori snapped at last. "All you ever talk about is that dang Ice Witch! Our Azusa is DEAD, and we won't ever see her again, and all you can think about is how the dark magicians feel!"

"I just thought—"

"I have news for you, Takatsuki Yayoi! You're not a miracle worker! Those magicians are not your friends, and they never will be! They don't care about you at all! So stop pretending you can get them to!"

Yayoi wiped the tears from her eyes. "Iori-chan…"

"And just after I forgave you, too…" Iori hissed. She turned away to hide her crying.

Yayoi clenched her fists. "Iori-chan…Iori-chan is the real idiot!" she yelled. Iori's eyes widened. "Don't you ever stop to think that maybe they're people too?! They have feelings just like the rest of us! We all have each other to look after one another, but they…they have no one! Dark Makoto-san is completely alone now that Azusa-san and Dark Azusa-san are dead! Doesn't that make you sad?! Don't you feel something for her?! I want to be the kind of person that can love people who have no one else to love them! That's why I care so much!"

"But what about us?! What about the people within your own academy who are suffering?! Don't you care about us?!"

"Of course I do! But you guys have other people besides me to look after you and love you! What about the dark magicians?!"

"That Grand Witch has plenty of followers! They all have someone!"

"But now Dark Makoto's someone is _dead_!" Yayoi screamed. "Why doesn't that make you sad? You have no heart at all, Iori-chan!"

"My heart belongs to my academy, nothing and no one else!" Iori lashed, whirling back around to face Yayoi.

"That's not fair!"

"What about it—"

"ENOUGH!" Chihaya barked. The fighting mage and wizard fell silent, along with the rest of the room. Chihaya drew in a deep breath and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "…Flame Mage."

Iori hissed.

"I myself have charged the light wizard with convincing the Ice Witch to be on our side. It is a good thing that she cares so much. Your job is to care for your academy, but hers is to look after the dark magicians."

Iori dug her nails into her palms and gritted her teeth, obviously fighting the urge to say something in response. Yayoi looked at the floor. Chihaya lifted her chin.

"Ritsuko-san, tell me. Your cousin and his friends are wizards, correct?"

Ritsuko nodded slowly. "Yes. They aren't trained and I don't think they know how to use their powers, but they have potential. His friend Mizutani Eri has Rune Eyes."

"Tell me what element they represent," Chihaya demanded.

"Um…Ryo is air, Eri is water, and Ai is light."

Chihaya nodded. "…Eri will come to the academy as the new water wizard. We may as well invite Ryo as well, especially since Hagiwara-san and Makoto are so weak. There is no need for Ai yet, but I suppose she could train lightly every once in a while, just in case."

Ritsuko nodded. Makoto and Yukiho exchanged a glance.

Chihaya looked out over the rest of the wizards and mages. "There will be a memorial service tomorrow night to honor those who have died in this war thus far. Takatsuki-san…feel free to invite the Ice Witch."

"Are you crazy?!" Iori gasped. "She'll kill us all!"

"She is grieving," Chihaya corrected. "She will not harm us."

Yayoi nodded. "It's true."

"Just shut up," Iori muttered.

Yayoi pursed her lips in annoyance.

"I hope the two of you can learn to get along again," Chihaya sighed. "In the meantime, everyone please return to your training. This has gone too far. I intend to send the Grand Witch an offer to surrender. If she refuses, we will attack again and wipe them all out, no mercy, no exceptions. It has come too far now."

The wizards and mages nodded slowly, accepting their task. Chihaya nodded back.

"You are dismissed."

Slowly, everyone flooded out. Surprisingly, Iori walked next to Yayoi on her way out.

"…I'm sorry, Iori-chan. I can't stand the thought of anyone being alone," Yayoi said quietly.

Iori stopped walking for a moment. "…I know what it's like to be alone," she admitted softly. "My two older brothers were always my father's favorite. Even though I'm the only one in the family with wizard powers, he's always loved them more. I was often left out of things and ignored because…everyone was…afraid of me. They were afraid of me because I had fire, and fire…destroys. …but then I met Chihaya, and she told me that every element has a good side. She told me that fire is about providing light in the darkness, and warmth from the cold, and melting the ice around people's hearts. She said that fire meant love, not hatred. And I vowed on that day that I'd protect this academy, this academy that brought me in and took care of me."

Yayoi moved closer to her and took hold of her hand.

"…maybe that's why it makes me angry," Iori went on. "These dark magicians threaten the safety and the peace and the love I deserve. If they didn't exist, Haruka and Azusa would still be alive, and Yukiho wouldn't have lost power, and Hibiki would be a mage, and Takane would still have her eye, and…and I wouldn't feel so alone all the time!"

"Dark Makoto-san is a lot like you, then," Yayoi murmured. "She's just lonely, because the only person who ever took care of her left her, and…and now that person is dead. Isn't it sad?"

"…yeah." Iori sniffled. "…Yayoi?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Let's not fight anymore." Iori wiped her eyes. "I don't want you to leave me alone." She blushed slightly.

Yayoi grinned and held up a hand. "High touch?"

Iori sniffled and smiled at her. "High touch!" she cheered, giving Yayoi her requested high touch.

"Yay!" Yayoi exclaimed. "Iori-chan, let's be friends forever now!"

"Right! And…and I'm going with you to talk to the Ice Witch. Alright?"

"Oh, I'd prefer it if you came, Iori-chan~."

"Good. Because I am coming whether you like it or not."

"Ehe…I'm glad Iori-chan is so nice~."

"I-I may be nice to you, but I'm not soft! I'm a fierce warrior!"


	19. Chapter the Nineteenth

Chapter the Nineteenth

Ordinarily, the sudden appearance of a Flame Mage and a light wizard in Dark Kikuchi Makoto's room would have warranted an instant attack and blood on the floors. But today, Dark Makoto was in no mood to kill.

She hid her face in her crab pillow, refusing to let Iori and Yayoi see her the way she was. Her eyes were red from crying, her sheets were wet, and she was near-positive there was snot coming out of her nose. Iori and Yayoi approached her bedside, Iori in front, and then paused.

"We've come to extend an invitation," Iori began. "Dark Makoto, you have been offered a chance to attend a memorial service presented by the Grand Mage of Ice, Kisaragi Chihaya, at NamukoAcademy, tonight."

"And you think I'll come?" Makoto sniffled and reached for a tissue on her nightstand.

"You've lost someone you love," Yayoi reminded her. "Isn't that a good reason to go?"

"…why are you really inviting me?" Makoto spat. "So you can launch some sort of ambush? I won't fall for something like that."

Yayoi didn't say a word; instead, she crawled into the bed and lay down, resting her cheek on Dark Makoto's and draping her arm over the older girl. Dark Makoto lay perfectly still.

"You don't get it, do you?" Iori sighed. "This moron here felt bad for you, and Chihaya had the same stupid thoughts, so they thought it might be a good idea to invite you to join our service. That's all there is to it."

"I'm your biggest threat."

"Are you?" Yayoi breathed. "We know Dark Azusa-san died."

Makoto winced.

"We're sorry. We wanted to protect her. You were there, right?"

"Of course." There was a pause. "…of course."

"I knew you still loved her." Yayoi giggled and snuggled against her. "Well, since they're…since they're both dead, I'm hoping you can let me care about you instead. I'll be like a little sister, right?"

"I can't let myself get soft again." Makoto moved the pillow away from her face. "…but if you insist, maybe I can show up. It'll give me a nice opportunity to scout for weaknesses."

Iori sniffed and tossed her hair. "I'll be watching you," she huffed. "Don't try anything stupid."

"I can overpower even your flames," Makoto remarked smugly. "Don't think you can get away with anything, Minase."

"Oh, shut up…!"

Yayoi rolled off of Dark Makoto and rose to her feet. Dark Makoto slowly crawled out of bed.

"Your hair's a mess," Iori commented.

"Your face will be a mess if you don't shut up," Makoto snapped back.

"It is true, though…" Yayoi nodded slowly. "Even dark magicians get bedhead, then."

"Don't think you're safe just because I've spared you so far," Makoto muttered. "…let's just get out of here."

"U-uun…! Dark Makoto-san, I have a request before we go!"

The Ice Queen blinked.

Yayoi grinned and held out her hand. "High touch~, Dark Makoto-san~!"

Dark Makoto stared at her hand for a while. Yayoi just stood there grinning and waiting until Dark Makoto decided it was OK to oblige to Yayoi's request and responded with a half-hearted high touch. This seemed good enough for Yayoi, who giggled and walked towards the window. Iori slid it open.

"We're traveling back by flames. Will you be following?" she questioned Dark Makoto.

"I think I should lead."

"No. Are you following us or not?"

"I'll fly with you, but I'm not following."

"Good." Iori moved closer to Yayoi and spread her fire beneath the girl's feet and her own. They floated out of the room, single file, upon the flames of Iori's magic. Makoto spread her two icy wings from her back and flew out behind them. Together, the two light magicians and the Ice Witch flew down to NamukoAcademy to await the memorial service. When they were about halfway there, Dark Makoto suddenly remembered something and flew back to Turiavita to collect it. Iori watched her closely.

Dark Makoto returned a few minutes later cradling Azusa's body in her arms. Iori winced. Yayoi smiled sadly.

"Turiavita would never let me bury her," Dark Makoto said quietly. "She deserves better than that."

"I guess burying her will have to be good enough, since our Azusa was burned to ash," Iori muttered. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get to the academy."

Makoto responded with a quick nod, and the trio again took up their journey.

*.*.*.*

Chihaya froze the water in her bed. She would have then worked at unfreezing it, but she was stopped when Yayoi, Iori, and Dark Makoto wandered in. In Dark Makoto's arms lay the body of Dark Miura Azusa. Chihaya allowed herself to smile for a split second before forcing her face to remain neutral. She was glad to have an Azusa to bury.

"Still can't reverse your powers, I see…Ice Mage." Dark Makoto's face was blank, but her voice was taunting and cruel. Chihaya took a deep breath. For tonight, Dark Makoto was a friend.

"At least I don't kill thousands of people for a living. Don't you have ay conscience left at all, Ice Witch?" Chihaya responded evenly.

Dark Makoto seemed to smirk. "Whatever conscience I had was destroyed along with my humanity in that attack. Killing every magician in this academy wouldn't bother me at all."

"Then why are you here?" Chihaya challenged.

"I have my reasons." Dark Makoto approached Chihaya and the Ice Mage flinched, drawing up a shield as a precautionary measure. Dark Makoto growled at her as she walked past.

"You're all the same, you lighter magicians," she hissed. "Just because I stand within two feet of you, you think I'm going to hurt you."

"We have no reason not to," Chihaya replied immediately. Her shield was reduced to water, along with the ice of her bed. As soon as the latter had occurred, Dark Makoto placed her Onee-chan on the bed and then returned to the doorway. Chihaya watched her. "…you have yet to harm us, though."

"It'd be a stupid move if you're all expecting it," Dark Makoto muttered. "Who else died?"

"Haruka, Dark Haruka, Dark Yukiho, Riffa, the mages before us, except for Kotori-san…thousands of villagers and civilians." Chihaya cast a glare at Dark Makoto. Dark Makoto lifted her chin in pride. "And the two Azusa-sans."

"And your little brother," Yayoi added.

"And the Ice Witch's soul," Iori finished.

The Flame Mage would have been impaled through the chin by the sudden ascending pillar of ice that had rocketed out of the ground soon after that statement, if it weren't for Chihaya, who quickly lifted her hand towards the object and used her powers to stop it from growing. Iori only allowed her expression to change to surprise for a second before she was back to being smug.

"Makoto. Lower the pillar," Chihaya ordered.

Makoto smirked. "How cute. You still have to use your hands, huh?" She added a low chuckle. "And yet you still can't beat me." With crossed arms and a face that was looking straight at Chihaya instead of her own pillar, Dark Makoto increased the strength of her powers using her mind, and the spire of ice climbed slightly higher. Chihaya gritted her teeth and lifted both hands, drawing in deep breaths to keep calm.

Iori only stood there, watching the two rivals during this miniature battle. She knew Chihaya would protect her. She knew Chihaya would never let a fellow mage be killed. She just knew.

"Iori-chan, move!" Yayoi whimpered.

"I don't have to," Iori declared. The sharp spike of frozen water rested only inches from her throat, and was still steadily climbing. Iori began to doubt her statement.

"Just give up, Grand Mage," Dark Makoto taunted. "You know I'm the greatest magician that's ever lived. A puny little mage like you could never beat me."

"That's just arrogance, not facts," Chihaya countered. "I will not let you hurt Minase-san."

"It isn't arrogance if I have proof," Makoto sighed. "I've conquered Dark Kisaragi's flames, murdered nearly every previous mage there was, and thanks to me, your darkness wizard is useless. You're welcome."

Chihaya growled and suddenly changed the course of the ice spike so that it hurtled towards Dark Makoto's brain. The Ice Witch didn't even flinch when it hit her; instead, she simply absorbed the element back into her body. Chihaya jumped to her feet.

"How dare you set foot in here and talk like that!" she shouted. "We invited you here as a sort of peace offering so we could mourn the death of the people we love together. But you have shown me that people never change. Once an ice-cold, soulless demon, always an ice-cold, soulless demon."

Dark Makoto uncrossed her arms and crossed them again.

"…get out of my academy," Chihaya demanded. Dark Makoto tilted her chin and smirked. "I said get out!"

"And you're going to make me."

"I will if I must."

"You CAN'T." Makoto's smirk grew wider and more teasing. "Your attacks are useless against me, Grand Mage. ALL of your attacks are useless. Not even you can hurt me, Minase."

"Why don't you test that?" Iori challenged, sending a fireball at the Turiavita Greater Witch. Makoto looked over at it and her Rune Eyes began to glow. A quick shot of ice at the ball of flame, and Iori's attack stopped completely. After only seconds of staring at it with her Rune Eyes, Makoto had transformed the attack into ice. She sent it back at Iori and it slammed into the Flame Mage's chest. Iori let out a cry of pain. Chihaya screamed in anger and fired spear after spear at Dark Makoto. All of them were either absorbed or sent back at Chihaya.

Yayoi looked from girl to girl, trying to decide who to cheer for. At last, she decided to intervene by screaming, "Please stop fighting!"

The group stopped almost immediately. Yayoi watched them for a minute before continuing.

"I…I don't like it when my friends fight," she said quietly. "I want you to stop fighting…"

"…no." Dark Makoto hurled more ice at Chihaya. Chihaya sent the ice back at Makoto. Makoto directed it at Iori. Iori melted it into water.

At last, Dark Makoto let out a loud battle cry and focused on Chihaya, her Rune Eyes gleaming. Chihaya moved to hurl a spear of ice, but she suddenly froze and her eyes went wide. Dark Makoto continued to stare at her, and Chihaya slowly turned the spear towards her own throat. She gasped in alarm and Yayoi screamed. Just as Chihaya was about to thrust the spear into her own neck, Yayoi let out a loud wail.

"Stop it, PLEASE!" she cried. Chihaya stopped. Iori forced herself to relax. Dark Makoto slowly let her Rune Eyes face back to their original blue and Chihaya instantly re-absorbed the spear. "Chihaya-san, please don't kill yourself!"

"It wasn't…" Chihaya trailed off. "…you…how did you do that, Dark Makoto?"

Dark Makoto tilted her chin again. "I bent the ice within your very soul," she muttered evenly. "It's a technique I've been working on with the water twins."

"But how?!"

"It's a Rune Eyes ability. You wouldn't understand." Makoto smirked. Chihaya hissed.

At that moment, the rest of the light magicians rushed into the room, and upon spotting Dark Makoto they all fled to the opposite side of the room, surrounding Chihaya without getting too close to the Ice Witch. Yayoi stuck close to Dark Makoto and Iori stood close to Yayoi. The others kept their distance.

Chihaya let out a long sigh. "…now that everyone is here, we may begin. Does anyone have anything to say before the memorial service starts?"

"Why's SHE here?" Hibiki spat, jabbing a thumb in Dark Makoto's general direction.

"I told Takatsuki-san to invite her to join us. She has been hurt by this war as much as we have, after all."

"She practically caused this war," Hibiki muttered.

"I will hear no more of this!" Chihaya stated. "This is the final say on the matter: Dark Kikuchi Makoto is to participate in this service as long as she behaves. Any more foul movements—"

"More?!" Ritsuko gasped. Chihaya held up a hand for silence.

"…any more foul movements will result in her immediate rejection from my academy. At the end of the service, she will be escorted home by Takatsuki-san and Minase-san," she finished. Dark Makoto dipped her head momentarily, seemingly accepting her orders. "Now. To begin, we will recap the losses thus far…"

The service proceeded as wizard ceremonies usually did; in a dignified and reserved manner, with everything going according to a plan. Chihaya outlined the lives of the individuals whose existence had been vanquished in the war. Afterwards, she had Makoto and Yukiho gather the ashes of those who had been burned and asked Ritsuko to carry Dark Azusa's body, and the woman was buried in a cemetery not far from the edge of the nearest village. Those who had only ashes had their ashes scattered into the ocean. At the end, everyone returned to the academy and Chihaya offered to let people speak. She herself spoke about her grief for her brother Yuu and for Haruka, and others shared stories of experiences they'd had with others who had died.

"Would anyone else like to say a few words to help us remember those we have lost?" Chihaya called out at the end. She was sure no one would speak; after all, everyone had already been covered. She was sure, that is, until Dark Makoto, the frozen-hearted, soulless witch herself, slowly stepped up to the foot of Chihaya's bed, likely to make a speech. The light magicians moved away from her, hoping to avoid the light spread of ice that extended from her feet every time she took a step. Yayoi slowly followed behind her to be near in case Dark Makoto needed someone to calm her down.

"…no one spoke about Onee-chan, so I'll do it myself," the Ice Witch began softly. Chihaya dipped her head in respect and stepped away to give her more room. "…Takatsuki."

"Y-yes!" Yayoi bowed.

"Thank you. Because of you, I was able to gather the courage to say goodbye to her." Makoto formed something close to a smile on her lips.

Yayoi grinned. "You're welcome, Dark Makoto-san," she trilled.

Dark Makoto lowered her head. "I think…there was something amazing about Onee-chan. She was able to look past everything I had done and welcome me back, even though I had treated her so horribly in the past…" She paused. "I'd like to see any of you light magicians do something like that. Besides Takatsuki."

Yayoi beamed proudly.

Dark Makoto looked up again. "None of you know what it's like to be completely alone, do you?" she whispered. "You've always had someone. Even if it took you a long time to find them, you had someone. I lost that someone. You have no idea how hard it can be to have that happen. And yet, you won't even bother to try understanding…" There was another pause. "Onee-chan was…extremely important to me. And now that she's gone, the only thing I have to fight for is revenge. Not against her, like I thought I wanted…but against them. Against those people who forced us apart and then stole her away from me forever. I guess what I mean to say is…I'll never be fully on your side, but we're fighting for the same goal. So I guess, for now, I can choose to let most of you live. But don't be surprised if I kill one or two of you to prove my 'loyalty' to Turiavita. It's a stupid move to turn against them when they expect it so fully."

The room was silent for a moment. A few of the light magicians were gaping. Chihaya gazed knowingly at her rival. Yayoi reached out and took Dark Makoto's hand in her own. Dark Makoto let her hold it.

"I take it that's a sort of temporary treaty?" Chihaya extended her hand to Dark Makoto. Dark Makoto's sort-of-a-smile grew slightly.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It's an EXTREMELY temporary treaty." She took Chihaya's hand.

Chihaya smiled. "Then it's settled. We will fight against Turiavita together, you from the inside and us from here. To get them back for taking away the ones we love." Her hand tightened around Dark Makoto's. Dark Makoto squeezed the Ice Mage's hand back.

"They think they can get away with something so unfair…"

"But we will make sure they get what they deserve."

"Yeah." Dark Makoto released Yayoi and Chihaya's hands and looked over at one of Chihaya's windows. "I'll be off. …thanks for inviting me."

"…our pleasure," Chihaya responded. "Farewell. Ah, but, Dark Makoto…"

"What?"

"…the second we have reason to believe you are against us…we will fight you."

"I expect you to." Dark Makoto spread out her ice wings and walked to the window. She slid outside. Chihaya watched her flap her wings a few times to get off the ground, then she turned and zoomed away—in the opposite direction of Turiavita. Chihaya cocked her head.

"Where is she going?" she mumbled. "Takatsuki-san, go after her, please. You are the only one who can stop her from attacking if it turns out she was only joking. Please take Miki as back-up."

"Y-yes, Chihaya-san."

*.*.*.*

Yayoi found Dark Makoto knelt by Dark Azusa's grave in the cemetery. The Shining Prodigy could tell she was crying even from ten yards away. It wasn't as though she hadn't expected it, though. She had guessed that she would find Dark Makoto in a place like this.

The light wizard slowly walked up behind Dark Makoto and placed a hand on her shoulder. Dark Makoto sniffled and brushed her hand across the top of Dark Azusa's tombstone.

"You miss her already, huh?" Yayoi breathed. She sat beside Dark Makoto and slid an arm over her shoulders. Dark Makoto leaned against her.

"I missed her the second she left," she replied gently. "…Takatsuki?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I…I'm sorry."

"…huh?"

Makoto stared at the engraving on the tombstone. "I was always trying to push you away. I killed your fellow magicians. Honestly, I have no qualms about that; just like you, I was involved in this war the second I was born. But…I shouldn't have avoided you."

"No, I understand." Yayoi smiled. "You had to hate me to stay strong."

"I guess," Dark Makoto sighed. "You're an interesting kid, that much is true."

"Ehehe…thanks~!"

"How are you sure that was a compliment?"

"…it wasn't a compliment?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Dark Makoto drew her fingers along the words. "I hope that offer you made is still open. After this whole brouhaha with Turiavita is over, I might have to take you up on it."

"…brouhaha?"

"Don't even start."

Yayoi giggled. "Of course it's still open. I'd love to have a big sister of my own, after all."

Dark Makoto draped her arm over Yayoi's shoulders. "Yeah. It's nice," she admitted.

"You'd know, huh?" Yayoi giggled again. "I'm glad we met, Dark Makoto-san. I like you a lot."

"You're not bad either, Takatsuki Yayoi." Makoto nodded decisively. "Definitely a lot better than the Takatsuki Yayoi we know." She stood up at last. "I'll probably be here when I'm not wrapped up with duties at home."

"I'll try to visit," Yayoi promised. Dark Makoto spread her wings again and took off into the sky without another word. Yayoi laughed. "I'll take that as a 'see you later'!"

Miki slowly stepped out from behind a tree. "Well, Yayoi? You done?" she asked.

Yayoi nodded and jumped up. "Yup. We can go home now if you want."

Miki nodded back. "That was a cute conversation. You've really grown on her, huh?"

"They're all just people, just like us," Yayoi murmured. "I really love you all."

"We all love you, too~. Who couldn't love such a cute face, nano?"

"You're sweet, Miki-san~."

Miki giggled and reached out a hand to Yayoi. Yayoi took it. Miki closed her eyes and opened up a portal of light below them, and as they sank into its depths, Yayoi couldn't help but feel like she had just gained a lifelong friend.


	20. Chapter the Twentieth

Chapter the Twentieth

By this time, Dark Chihaya and Karasu didn't even turn around when they heard the telltale crackling of ice; they just knew it meant Makoto had returned. Chihaya grunted and continued staring at her monitor. Karasu held up a hand as a greeting of sorts.

"You've been gone a while," he commented. "Where'd you go?"

"Outside," Makoto answered simply. She took a seat at her station, the monitor that displayed NamukoAcademy.

"Gone out for a little evening fly?"

"Something like that."

"We attack in three days," Chihaya declared. "Be ready."

"I'm always ready," Makoto muttered. _But this time, I'll be ready to fight _you_...Grand Witch._

"What if we'd called the attack only minutes ago? Would you have been ready then?" Chihaya challenged. "You are not allowed to leave the building without telling one of us!"

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was a prisoner," Makoto shot out. Chihaya rose to her feet and whirled on her angrily.

"You work under me!" she snapped. "You have no right to speak this way to me, or to leave without permission…you have no right!"

A spire of ice suddenly shot out of the wall and slammed straight through Chihaya's right shoulder. Chihaya gasped. Makoto slowly stood to her feet.

"You…" Makoto growled. "…how dare you…"

"How dare YOU!" Chihaya countered. "Get this ice out of my—nngh…"

"It should hurt," Makoto hissed. "If you suffer, I'll be glad of it!"

"Why, you—"

"How DARE you kill my Onee-chan!"

Chihaya fell silent for a moment, her teeth bared in a snarl. Karasu slid in-between the two, partially to prevent violence and partially because he found the fight more amusing to watch at such an angle.

"I did you a favor," Chihaya sneered. "That b*tch was holding you down."

"YOU'RE the b*tch, Kisaragi…!" Makoto whirled around and shot a ball of ice at Chihaya's face. Karasu did nothing as the ice-ball zoomed past his face, allowing the Flame Witch to be struck. She cried out, mostly in anger, partially in shock, and partly in pain. Makoto stood glaring daggers at her, her fists clenched, shaking.

"…to think you would be so bold…Makoto…" Chihaya gritted her teeth. "You think you can beat me in a real fight?!"

Makoto reached up with one hand to wipe frozen tears off her face. She let out a small chuckle. "I wanted to kill you during the big battle," she admitted. "But maybe I could just get it over with now."

Chihaya growled and used her abilities to increase her own body heat. The rise in temperature was so severe that the ice melted right out of her shoulder. Chihaya's Rune Eyes glowed, and she shot a raging fireball at Makoto. Karasu teleported out of the way and then opened up a portal beneath the girls' feet, transporting them to a wide-open field somewhat near one of the villages.

"Now, you can use any attacks you want here without worrying about destroying the castle," Karasu sighed. "We're the last remaining members of Turiavita, so I would prefer if you didn't kill one another. Perhaps a K.O would suffice?"

"Stay out of this," Makoto muttered.

Karasu backed into the forest, his hands up as a sign of surrender.

Chihaya let out a loud noise that was halfway between a scream and a growl. With this noise came a large ball of flame, spiraling towards Makoto and seemingly gaining speed as it went. Makoto didn't even flinch, and right as the fireball was about to hit her, she suddenly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way before jumping to her feet. Chihaya's attack went right over her head. Makoto shot a few ice knives at Chihaya, only one of which hit its mark on her side. The others were melted out of the air. Chihaya countered by rushing at Makoto, her body literally flaming, and attempting to tackle her to the ground. Makoto dodged effortlessly and slashed down Chihaya's back with a pair of icy claws.

Chihaya roared in rage and grabbed hold of Makoto's wrist, flinging the Ice Witch to the ground. Makoto grunted in annoyance. Chihaya climbed over her, pinning her to the grass. Makoto glared up at her.

For a second, the Ice Witch considered shooting a pillar of ice out of her body and through Chihaya's, killing her instantly, but then she realized that Chihaya's body was on fire still, and any attack of ice at this point would likely be ineffective. She could melt herself into water and sink into the ground, only to reconstruct later, but there was something about the cocky look in Chihaya's eyes—a look that said she thought she had won—that made Makoto really want her to suffer. And the best way to do that would be to wait—wait until the attack on NamukoAcademy. Wait until Chihaya thought she was invincible, and in that moment of weakness, prove just how vulnerable she was by striking her dead.

So Makoto did nothing as Chihaya's Rune Eyes began to glow, and the temperature of the fire on her body increased. The Ice Queen winced and made a small, pained noise. Chihaya grinned evilly.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" she murmured. "Face it, you are weak. You cannot defeat me! Do you want to know why?"

_Because I'm holding back on you on purpose so you'll be more embarrassed when you lose in front of everyone…? _Makoto thought. She said nothing.

Chihaya's grin grew more insane. "Because you're just a disposable pawn to me!" she cried. "And pawns must BOW before their queen!" The last word of this statement came with a powerful stream of flame right out of Chihaya's open mouth. Makoto's eyes widened slightly and she opened her mouth to object, but before she could make a sound, her face and her upper torso were engulfed in the wild inferno of Chihaya's dragon-esque attack.

The noise she'd tried to make emerged as a loud, agonized scream, as she felt her very flesh melting away in the heat of the blaze. Chihaya laughed, which only seemed to add power to the move. Makoto's ears began to ring, and she couldn't hear anything other then her own loud screams. In fact, se was almost positive Chihaya would actually kill her until Karasu reached out and wrapped a dark tentacle around Chihaya's waist, yanking her off of Makoto and into the forest. Chihaya coughed, surprised, and closed her mouth, swallowing back the remaining fire.

"Are you insane?!" Karasu snapped. "I told you not to kill her!"

"She's the one that tried to kill me first!" Chihaya half-whined.

"That doesn't mean…" Karasu trailed off. "You're crying again."

"My back…" Chihaya gritted her teeth. "…I'm not crying!"

Karasu knelt down by her side and cupped her cheek. "You're hurt, aren't you?"

"Of course…not," Chihaya added quickly. "I can't be injured by such a petty witch."

"Makoto is no petty witch," Karasu reminded her. "Forget it, we should get you two home. You're not going to get better by lying here. Stay in the forest, and I'll get Makoto and be right back."

"Don't—"

"Relax," the Shadow Warlock cut in, smiling again. "I won't be gone long."

"I'll forgive you if you stay by my side tonight," Chihaya murmured. Karasu paused, his back facing her as he headed towards the writhing Makoto.

"And by that, I'm guessing you mean, 'I want to sleep with you tonight.'"

"Something like that." Chihaya purred. Karasu smirked slightly.

"Yeah, alright. Sure. Now be a good girl and stay here."

"I'm not in any way 'good', what makes you think—" Chihaya broke off, moaning in pain. Blood poured from the wounds she'd received and she lowered herself onto the ground, wincing when her back hit the crisp blanket of autumn leaves. Karasu ignored her in favor of retrieving the now-unconscious Makoto. Chihaya waited less-then-patiently for his return. "Everything hurts. Hurry and fix it."

"I'm no doctor. I can only try my best to patch everything up. Don't forget I have to work with Makoto too," Karasu sighed. He opened a portal in the ground and lay Makoto in her bed, then lifted Chihaya into his arms and carried her to her own room. "You sure you're in good enough shape for this?"

"I'm fine," Chihaya muttered. Karasu placed her on her bed and climbed in with her. Chihaya curled up on his chest, sighing happily. "And stop talking about that girl, anyways. You're mine tonight."

"Yeah, yeah…you're always so anxious." Karasu offered his mate a smirk before closing in shadows from all sides. There would be no room for interruptions tonight.

*.*.*.*

Makoto drew in quick, ragged breaths, struggling to cool down her body temperature. She hadn't expected Chihaya to get quite that angry, although in hindsight she really should have. The Grand Witch's final blow had come as unexpected, and because Makoto hadn't gotten away from her, she was positive she was now missing most of her flesh.

It was the morning after the brawl, and Makoto had just recently awoken from her Chihaya-induced unconscious state. She could only guess that after separating the Psycho Explosion from the Ice Queen, Karasu had teleported them back to the castle and put Makoto in her bed.

As if thinking of him had summoned him in, Karasu opened the door to Makoto's room and slid inside, closing the door behind him. Makoto glanced over and grunted.

"You held back on her, didn't you?" Karasu muttered, taking a seat on Makoto's bed. "I can think of half a billion ways you could have gotten out of that situation."

"It was stupid of me to lash out at her," Makoto mumbled back. "I have to keep waiting for the perfect moment." She paused. "And, where is your shirt…?!"

"Huh?" Karasu glanced down at his bare torso. "Oh yeah, I forgot I wasn't wearing that. It's in Chihaya's room."

Makoto raised an eyebrow (or at least, what was left of an eyebrow).

"…we had se—"

"I know."

"Anyway," Karasu continued, "because you didn't get away, you're practically dead. Chihaya's going to give me a whole lot of hell if I spend too much time around you to nurse you. You might end up almost on your own."

"That's fine with me."

"And, where are your eyebrows…?!"

"…shut up." Makoto winced. "…it…hurts…"

Karasu smiled at her and stood up. "Well, I'll go get you some ice or something to try and fix that burnt face of yours. You might want to pay attention to the fact that half your shirt burned off too."

Makoto glanced down at her torso immediately, realized that Karasu was right and she was near-naked, and quickly burrowed under some blankets. She blushed. "What were you looking at, pervert…?!"

"If you need me, I'll be somewhere else."

"Answer me…!"

"Get well soon…Ice Queen." Karasu flashed her a smile over his shoulder and vanished out the door.

Makoto hid her face beneath the blankets. "…d*mn that guy."

**(A/N: I figured now would good time to explain something.  
Those of you who have read my other works probably know I don't like cursing, but in these kinds of situations, it's very likely that the characters would curse up a storm. So to make myself feel better about it, I replace the second letter of the word with an asterisk if it's used in a cursing context (you'll notice I used "hell" here, but theoretically, to say "it's giving me hell" is using that word in the correct context, so I don't consider it cursing. Kinda like that...?). **

**But yeah. I'm pretty innocent, especially lately. XD Bye.)**


	21. Chapter the Twenty-First

Chapter the Twenty-First

Yayoi wandered through the halls of the academy, peeking into people's rooms. While most would think of this as a creepy hobby, to Yayoi it was a necessary task.

She had to meet the brand-new wizards, after all.

The first room she stumbled across was what was once Azusa's room. Inside was a girl who looked a bit older than Yayoi sitting on the bed. As Yayoi watched, the blue-eyed girl neatly tucked some blue hair behind her ear and proceeded to stare at the floor. Yayoi slowly slid inside.

"Excuse me!"

The girl on the bed squeaked in alarm and jumped to her feet, startled, then relaxed when she saw Yayoi. "H-hello. I'm sorry, you startled me…"

"Sorry," Yayoi apologized. "I'm Takatsuki Yayoi, the light wizard. Are you our new water wizard?"

"I guess." The girl smiled sadly. "I'm very sorry about your loss. That must have been horrible…"

Yayoi's bright grin wavered. "It was," she admitted. "But we have you now, so it's OK. What's your name?"

"Mizutani Eri," the bluenette answered. "It's nice to meet you."

"U-uun~! Welcome to the academy, Eri-san! You'll love your teacher, Chihaya-san. She's really pretty and nice."

"Really? I was worried. I thought since she's the Ice Mage, she would be cruel."

"She's only cruel when you get on her bad side. But she loves her academy, so it's alright." Yayoi took a seat on the bed beside Eri. "Are you worried about making friends?"

"A bit," Eri admitted, squirming. "B-but I have Ryo-san, and now I've met you, so I think I'll do fine."

"Everyone here is very welcoming," Yayoi assured her. "They might seem mean, but they're really quite sweet. We just need to worry about our training."

"That's very assuring," Eri sighed. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "Yayoi-san, what is this academy about? I don't know much about it. All I was told is that I have the ability to become a great wizard."

"I'm still learning too," Yayoi said honestly. "But NamukoAcademy is a really wonderful place. It's all about nurturing young wizards to become something great. Or, at least…" Yayoi trailed off. "I don't want to scare you on your first day."

"Please tell me!" Eri begged, turning to look at Yayoi. "I want to know what I'm training for! I don't want to be in the dark…!"

Yayoi paused for a moment before she told the story. "Well, there are these really horrible people we're fighting. Lately they've been getting stronger, and they're trying to kill us all. So we have to kill them first."

"Enemy wizards?"

"Uh-huh. But they call themselves 'witches' or 'warlocks'."

"How…how many?"

"Three." Yayoi paused, then smiled. "Two."

Eri cocked her head.

"The Flame Witch, the Shadow Warlock, and the Ice Witch. They're all really strong. But for some reason…I think the Ice Witch is on our side."

"Really? Is she good?"

"Actually…she's the best," Yayoi elaborated. "Even better than Chihaya-san."

"Wow…!" Eri gasped. "Y-Yayoi-san! A-are you positive this person is our ally?"

"Kinda," Yayoi sighed. "It's hard to explain. She's a difficult person to figure out, but I think I understand her feelings. She could still kill us if she felt like she had to, but I don't think she wants to."

"What is her name?"

"She's the dark copy of Makoto-san."

"Makoto…" Eri trailed off and her eyes widened. "O-oh no, Ryo-san is training under Makoto-san…!"

"Don't worry!" Yayoi insisted. "This Makoto-san is really nice. It's her dark copy that gives us problems."

"I'm confused," Eri complained.

"So was I when it was explained to me the first time," Yayoi agreed. "It's hard to understand. The mages can probably explain it better than me."

Eri nodded. "I'll be sure to ask Grand Mage-san about it."

"That's a good idea." Yayoi bounced to her feet and bowed low. "Eri-san, it was wonderful to meet you! I'm going to go meet the air wizard now!"

"Yes, it was wonderful meeting you too." Eri smiled, then her smile faltered. "Ah, Yayoi-san…!"

"Yeah?"

"The mage that came to collect me…Ryo-san's cousin Ritsuko-san? She said I have…Rune Eyes, I think it was. What does that mean? Do you know?"

"Rune Eyes are kinda like special eyes that can boost your powers and give you special abilities no other magician has," Yayoi explained. "You get them when your eye color matches up to your element. You're the seventh magician in the world to have them."

"Only seven…?!"

"That's what I thought too!"

*.*.*.*

The door to the Wind Mage's room slid open, revealing Yayoi in the doorway. Makoto looked over from her place in the corner of the room and smiled.

"Hey, Yayoi! Did you come to meet Ryo? He's a cutie, huh?"

Yayoi stepped inside the room and surveyed its inhabitants. Yukiho was seated on the bed, her arms crossed. She seemed to be pouting about something. Her back was turned towards Makoto, who was stationed in the corner with her arms around an unfamiliar person that may have been either a girl or a boy. Makoto was guiding the hands of the unfamiliar person as though trying to teach them something. The person just stood there blushing like crazy, muttering the occasional request.

"I thought it would be fun to meet all the brand-new wizards. I just finished meeting Eri-san, and I remembered hearing that one of the wizards was air, so I came here," Yayoi announced. "Hi, Yukiho-san."

"Hello." Yukiho nodded curtly at Yayoi and returned to her pouting. "Makoto-chan, if you're about done…"

"Hang on, Yukiho. He's almost got it. Focus, Ryo. You have to focus on your power. We both know you have it."

Yayoi stepped further into the room. "Um, Makoto-san—"

"Hush," Makoto ordered. "Now, Ryo. I need you to focus, alright?"

"I-it's hard to focus on my powers when you're hugging me like this," the person she was coaching (who was probably Ryo, Yayoi realized) squeaked.

"Oh, really? …sorry." Makoto removed her arms from around the person and stepped back. "Ah…let's just take a break for now. Yayoi, this is Ryo. Ryo, that's Yayoi. She's the light wizard."

Ryo bowed. Yayoi waved.

"Nice to meet you, Yayoi-san," Ryo said brightly. "How long have you been training here?"

"A few months," Yayoi answered. "Nice to meet you too~!"

Makoto nodded and glanced over at Yukiho. "Yo, Yukiho. Why're you pouting so much?"

Yukiho lifted her chin and pursed her lips.

"…did I do something wrong?"

Yukiho nodded.

"Oh, for crying out…OK, NOW what did I do?" Makoto went over to try and ease Yukiho out of her subtle disapproval while Yayoi stared at Ryo, trying to confirm his/her gender.

"…is there something on me?" Ryo asked, seeming slightly unnerved by Yayoi's staring.

"…Ryo-san, you are a boy, right? Makoto-san kept saying 'he'."

Ryo seemed to brighten up. "Yes, I'm a boy."

"You look kinda like a girl."

Ryo drooped. "…I know."

"Sorry," Yayoi added. "It's just, when I look at you and Makoto-san, I can't help but wonder why you don't look like your own gender. Is it genetic or something?"

"It's my dad's fault," Makoto called.

"I have no idea why it happened to me," Ryo admitted. "But it's horrible most of the time."

"Sorry," Yayoi repeated.

"I should be used to it, anyways." Ryo smiled. "Did your mage give you the day off?"

"Not the day. But she said I could go meet everyone because I was curious."

"Ah. She seems kind."

"They all are." Yayoi glanced over at Makoto and Yukiho, who will still having a quiet disagreement. "I should probably get back to Miki-san. It was nice meeting you, Ryo-san~!"

"Nice meeting you too, Yayoi-san," Ryo exclaimed. He bowed again. Yayoi bowed back. "…are those two going to be like that for long?"

"Please just tell me what I did wrong!" Makoto pleaded. "You know I'm bad at picking up hints!"

"If you can't figure it out, I won't tell you!" Yukiho decided, looking away.

"Are you mad at me because I was ignoring you for Ryo?" Makoto asked suddenly, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Yes! That's why I'm upset." Yukiho turned back towards her and seemed to brighten up a bit.

"Gee, sorry, Yukiho. I guess I just got a little excited that they trusted me with another student." Makoto giggled. "We'll train together from now on, alright?"

"Y-yes! That sounds like a great idea, Makoto-chan…!"

"Great! Let's get back to it, then. Both of you…oh, Yayoi, you're still here?"

"Huh?" Yayoi blinked. "Sorry, should I leave?"

"If you don't mind." Makoto flashed her a grin. "If you're here, your adorableness might cause distractions."

Yayoi blinked again, then smiled when she realized she'd just received a compliment. "OK. Thanks for letting me drop in."

"No problem. And tell Miki I know it's her that keeps sending me anonymous flowers."

"OK~." Her meeting-time over, Yayoi turned and skipped out the door, closing it smoothly behind her, then skipped off to find Miki and resume her own training. She was glad to have new wizards, especially wizards that seemed like so much fun.

No matter what, she would work for the good of her academy. NamukoAcademy would never fade away. Not when there were so many dedicated magicians working to protect it. Nothing could ever tear it down. Not even Turiavita.

Wasn't that true?

Pushing this thought to the back of her mind, Yayoi plastered a wide grin on her face and wandered into Miki's room. There would be time for doubt later. Now was the time for strength. Now was the time for _fun_.

"Oh, Yayoi, you're here! Ready to keep training?" Miki exclaimed upon seeing her student.

"Makoto-san said she knows it's you sending her flowers."

"She figured it out?! …well, darn. Oh well." Miki blinked. "Yayoi, you seem really happy today. Like, happier than usual."

"I guess that's because I am happier than usual." Yayoi grinned. "I dunno, I'm just really excited all of a sudden. I'll be sure to put all my joyful energy into training today, Miki-san!"

"That's a great attitude! You ready to get started, then?"

"Yeah! Let's do it, Miki-san~!"

"Great! Here, Miki wants to try a sparring exercise with you…"

Yayoi nodded exuberantly and prepared herself from her training, the hope and joy she felt in her heart keeping her powers stronger than ever. And as she worked, there was only one thought on her mind…

_NamukoAcademy…will never fade. Because I'll protect it._

**((Random A/N: This chapter includes the 100th page of this book when on Microsoft Word. Woot woot! I've also broke 20 chapters which was my minimum. I think this was the last filler chapter before the HUGE battle that marks the end. Doesthat count as a spoiler...?**

**Whatever.**

**I'm so excited, you guys. Once again, I haven't gotten reviews in ages, it feels like, so if you have time, energy, and desire, I'd love one. But I won't say something like "REVIEW OR DIE" or "Please review my stuff like now lol!" because that makes me sound pushy. So if you want to, go ahead. I'd like it, but I won't require it. Do I make ANY sense to you guys?**

**Aaaanywho, I love you all for reading this, thanks to all the followers/favorite...ers...and bye.))**


	22. Chapter the Twenty-Second

Chapter the Twenty-Second

Dark Chihaya tapped her fingers on the desk, her face seeming impatient and bored. "Karasu, where's that darned Ice Witch?"

"In bed, obviously," Karasu answered, observing NamukoAcademy through one monitor, Dark Makoto's room through another, and the Mondenkind "prison" through a third. "She's still on the brink of death. You'll have to give her more time."

"We're out of time, and I'm out of patience," Chihaya said testily. "Why won't those healing wizards hurry up?!"

"They can only do so much," Karasu reminded her, staring intently at the Mondenkind screen. He frowned, tapped a few buttons, and then scooted away from the monitor. "Rebellion in hallway C. Fire wizard and water wizards. Seem to be plotting something big by the look of it."

"Question them," Chihaya ordered.

Karasu nodded and pressed down on a button that would activate the intercom. "Good afternoon, Mondenkind wizards. What's going on down there?"  
Dark Iori, the fire wizard, screeched in alarm. The water wizard twins gasped.

"It's nothing!" Iori insisted. "We were just talking about the best way to go about cleaning the hallways!"

"You think I'm stupid." Karasu tapped his free fingers on the desk and smirked. "You know, if you tell the truth now, I can have the mistress go easy on you."

"We did tell the truth," Ami insisted, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"I hate liars, you know."

"That's surprising, considering you are one," Iori muttered.

"Ah, of course. What I meant to say is, 'I hate _bad_ liars.' You give the good ones a bad name."

Iori spat on the ground in annoyance. "You want to know what we're doing?! Fine! We're sick of being your slaves, Turiavita! Tonight, we're going to NamukoAcademy to exact revenge on you freaks for keeping us locked up!"

"I-Iori-san...! What are you doing?!" Ami hissed.

Mami whimpered and shrank against her.

Iori jumped up and glared at the camera that allowed Turiavita to see her. "Go ahead and kill us! But those wizards...those mages and wizards will not lose to you!" she shouted.

"Long live NamukoAcademy!" Mami cheered. "Our allies!"

"...our allies," Ami added quietly.

Karasu frowned slightly, seeming thoughtful. Chihaya was seething with rage. The door slid open and Makoto stepped in, limping slightly.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Look who's alive," Karasu teased, lifting his finger from the intercom button for a moment. "I didn't see you get up."

"The wizards just finished. I'm fine," Makoto insisted. She pulled up a chair next to Karasu and looked into the monitor. "Minase staging a rebellion?"

"It's outright betrayal," Karasu corrected, placing his finger back on the button. "Isn't that right, ladies?"

"That's right!" Iori snapped. "Makoto! You listening?"

"She's here."

"You're the first one I'm taking down, you traitor! You'll pay for what you've done to us!"

Makoto seemed interested. "What are they going on about?"

"They say they're joining up with NamukoAcademy for the final battle," Karasu answered. Chihaya rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Let them," Makoto sighed. "It'll be easier to crush them if they're all in the same place."

"A mass-murder party? Sounds like fun," Karasu agreed. Iori seemed more afraid. "Go ahead and join up with the others. We'll leave you unpunished so it'll be more fun to kill you during the fight." He nodded. "We'll give you a head start. We're leaving in a few minutes, so you should get going now."

Iori's glare wavered; then she sniffed in annoyance and ran off-screen. The twins scrambled to their feet and ran after her.

Karasu leaned back in his chair, taking his finger off the button. "Brilliant suggestion, Ice Queen," he praised. "You're certainly in top shape."

"I told you I was fine," Makoto replied proudly. "When are we leaving?"

"Whenever you're ready," Chihaya cut in, rising to her feet briskly.

Makoto glared at her and rose to her feet. "I'm ready now."

"You've changed your cloak," Karasu observed. "It's silver now. In fact, your whole outfit's changed."

"The old one was destroyed in the fire," Makoto muttered, not taking her eyes off of Chihaya.

"You look nice," Karasu offered.

"Oh hooray. I chose my best dress for an evening massacre. It just wouldn't look right unless it was covered in blood."

"A brilliant decision, really." Karasu nodded and straightened the collar of his pitch-black robe. "Are we leaving?"

"First, a quick review," Chihaya ordered. "I'll set the place on fire, Karasu will cover it in shadows, and Makoto...you'll go inside to eliminate anyone who gets too close to escaping."

"I wonder if there's a reason you gave me the most dangerous job," Makoto spat. "Because you want to get rid of me, or because you know I'm the most capable?"

"Both," Chihaya snapped back, reluctance clear in her voice. Makoto seemed pleased. She spread her wings and went to the window. Chihaya grumbled to herself, but she followed. Karasu approached Makoto and waited at her side. Makoto drew in a deep breath, focused on her hatred of the world and all that was cruel within it, and grabbed hold of her "superiors" before taking off into the evening sky, towards the doomed NamukoAcademy.

*.*.*.*

Yayoi squirmed in her bed, trying to get to sleep early. She wanted nothing more than to be able to rest peacefully, but something was bothering her. She couldn't figure out what it was, but there was definitely something wrong.

Chihaya suddenly burst through her door, a horrified expression on her face. The second she did, smoke and shadows poured into the room. Yayoi broke down coughing and stumbled out of her bed.

"Takatsuki-san?! Takatsuki-san, where are you?!" Chihaya demanded.

"I'm right here!" Yayoi called, groping through the darkness towards what she assumed was Chihaya. "Where are you?"

"Stay where you are, nano!"

"M-Miki-san...?!"

There were moments of coughing, then a brilliant light burst into the room, throwing its inhabitants into its glow. Yayoi ran to Chihaya, who trapped her in a tight hug.

"What's going on?" Yayoi sobbed. "Where are the Mondenkind wizards that were gonna come with us?"

"They're in their rooms," Miki announced. "Miki and Chihaya were going around getting everyone."

"Please tell me what's going on," Yayoi begged.

Chihaya rubbed her back and looked up at the ceiling. "Turiavita...is making their final move."

**(A/N: Is it just me, or does it feel like forever since I updated this book? Maybe I just love it so much I can't stand to be away from it. BWAHAHAAHA.**

**I just got my thumbdrive back and I HAVE A LAPTOP NOW~ so I'll start writing more, particularly this book and *SPOILER ALERT!* it's sequel/profiles.**

**But yeah! Are you guys loving this as much as I am? It's getting really intense now! Who's your favorite wizard/mage/witch/warlock? I would so love to hear what you think, so drop a review if you can! I really appreciate it when you do, so thanks to the three of you who have bothered to do so! Keep on the watch for more.**

**Oh yeah, one more thing! I'm really sorry I've been neglecting all my other books. I get into writing funks where my one-track mind only wants to focus on a certain story. I'll try to get in the mood to write some other stuff soon-I have two new projects to show you guys in progress!-so please bear with me while I wait to get in the mood. I'll be cranking out Namuko Academy in the meantime! WE'RE ALMOST DONE~!**

**SUPER-LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE...AWAYYYY!)**


	23. Chapter the Twenty-Third

Chapter the Twenty-Third

Chihaya hissed to herself and dragged Yayoi out of the room, Miki following close behind. "Miki! Get the others and get them out of here! This building is going to burn to the ground" she ordered.

"Got it!" Miki quipped back. She spun around and ran towards the other magicians' rooms, her hands glowing to light the way. Chihaya looked down at Yayoi.

"Takatsuki-san, I need you to use your light to brighten our path," she demanded. "This is not a question. I _need _you."

Yayoi whimpered. "I'll try," she promised.

"Please!"

Yayoi nodded. She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and drew up memories of past experiences which had made her happy. Using these bright memories, she blasted a steady stream of light from her hands. Chihaya grinned. Using Yayoi's hands as a sort of flashlight, they maneuvered towards the door, catching up with the Mondenkind Sun Warlock along the way. Chihaya offered the middle-aged man a wave, which he returned with a smile and a wave back.

"I've gotten all of the Mondenkind wizards into the hallways," he informed them. "I'm working at waking your wizards now."

"Thank you very much," Chihaya said gratefully. She ushered Yayoi forwards and they eventually found their way outside. Chihaya hurried with Yayoi away from the building just as part of it broke off in fire and crashed to the ground. Yayoi screamed in horror. Chihaya knelt to the ground and pulled her close.

"Chihaya-san, I'm scared!" Yayoi wailed. "What do we do?"

"You are to wait out here with me," Chihaya stated. "I'll protect you from the dark magicians.

"But what about the others?" Yayoi sobbed.

Chihaya looked down grimly. "All we can do is hope that Miki and Joseph-san are able to get them out in time. Makoto is helping with her wind as well, and Ritsuko-san is using her rocks to put out some of the fires. Once someone else gets out who can take care of you, I'll go in and help too. Don't forget we have twin fire wizards to absorb the blaze, twin water wizards to put it out, and Shijou-san. We'll be fine."

Yayoi nodded slowly, feeling relieved, but her moment of peace was cut short at the sound of a loud, insane-sounding laugh. Yayoi and Chihaya turned and spotted Dark Chihaya and Karasu only feet away. Yayoi whimpered and shrank against Chihaya.

"Oh, how sweet...you managed to escape our death trap," Dark Chihaya purred. "A shame your friends won't be as lucky."

"You really think we will lose here?!" Chihaya lashed. "You are far outnumbered! Your attacks are useless against us!"

"But it won't be like that forever," Karasu murmured sweetly. "Makoto's inside taking care of any strays. Ah, speak of the devil...here she is now with my delivery."

Chihaya and Yayoi looked at the sky to spot Dark Makoto flying down from the academy, carrying Joseph in her arms. The Sun Warlock had been immobilized in a block of ice. Yayoi squeezed Chihaya close, confused.

_Dark Makoto-san is my friend...she wouldn't let them kill these people...she wouldn't kill them..._

Makoto landed, placing Joseph on the ground. She cast a glance at Karasu. Karasu paced around Joseph, his eternal smirk widening. He nodded in approval.

"I'm a little overwhelmed, old friend," he half-purred. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, you know."

"You may take me down, but you will never squash our rebellion," Joseph muttered back, his head hung, but a smile on his face.

"I don't need to squash the rebellion," Karasu sighed, leaning closer. "I just need to squash the people leading it."

"Leave him alone!" Chihaya ordered, stretching her hand out to absorb the ice around Joseph's body. As soon as the Sun Warlock was freed, he started off towards the academy, but Karasu teleported behind him and drew a knife from out of nowhere, reaching around to slit through Joseph's throat. Joseph gasped and fell forward, blood pouring out of his new fatal wound. Karasu broke into a loud laugh, the first real laugh Yayoi had ever heard him utter. She screamed in terror and Chihaya growled.

Karasu slowly spun towards them. "What a nice kill...it's been _ages _since I made one myself, and I've been just _dying_ to feel such a pleasant sensation again..."

"Isn't it a wonderful feeling?" Dark Chihaya cooed.

"Just wonderful~"

"Oh, I know~"

"And guess who you have to thank for letting me make such a nice kill?" Karasu's smirk grew more evil and taunting, and he gestured at Dark Makoto, who looked away. "Many thanks to my lovely assistant. I appreciate the delivery, Makoto."

"Whatever." Makoto cast a pained glance at Yayoi, who gaped at her in remorse.

"Why would you help them, Dark Makoto-san?" Yayoi cried. "I thought...I thought you were on our side! I thought you said you hated them! I thought we were _friends_!"

"Circumstances can alter the way a person thinks," Makoto said coldly. There was a pause before she flicked her now-silver cloak off her shoulders to reveal a harsh burn scar. Yayoi noticed for the first time the deep scar running over her whole torso. "This is what I get for siding with you. And if I want to avoid being killed, I have a job to do."

Dark Chihaya grinned evilly and giggled.

"But you're stronger than her!" Chihaya blurted. "How did she do this to you?! You promised me you would help us!"

"Please, you think I have any qualms about breaking a promise?" Dark Makoto scoffed. "Someone like me, who killed millions of innocent people without a second thought. Someone like me, who deceived an entire school into thinking I had reformed. Someone like me...who thoughtlessly abandoned the only people who could ever love me! You think this bothers me?!"

Yayoi looked downtrodden. "...I thought...you wanted to be one of us..."

"Congratulations, you're among the idiots who believed me," Makoto shot out. "...these people put me through hell, there's no doubt about that. But they're MY people. I belong among the murders and the liars, the traitors, the greedy, the prideful...Ideserveto be among the _darkness. _This may not be heaven, but hell is where I belong!"

"Don't say that!" Yayoi begged. "Please! Please, help us! We'll accept you, Dark Makoto-san! We'll accept you!"

Dark Makoto turned away and spread her wings. "...just forget it, Takatsuki. Whatever you think we might have had is gone now." That said, the dreaded Ice Queen unfolded her wings and took off back towards the crumbling academy. Yayoi watched her; then, without even pausing to give it a second thought, she shoved away from Chihaya and darted after her, into the blazing furnace that was once NamukoAcademy. Chihaya reached after her.

"TAKATSUKI-SAN!"

*.*.*.*

"Dark Makoto-san! Where are you? Please, come talk to me!" Yayoi called, using her memories of past experiences with her precious sorta-maybe-a-friend to light the way as she ran through the halls of Namuko Academy searching for Makoto—or for survivors.

She knew Chihaya would be worried, but she didn't care. She had to reach Dark Makoto soon. She had to, or all would be lost. The people Yayoi loved would be slaughtered unless Yayoi could convince Dark Makoto that this was where she belonged: in the _light_.

"Please...Dark Makoto-san...please..." Yayoi stopped running and looked around, using her hands to light up dark corners. The place where she was walking was free of flames, but it was pitch-black and there was lots of smoke, plus the building itself was crashing down all around her. She began to cry. "Dark Makoto-san! Please, we need to talk! I'm begging you!"

"Ya...yoi..."

Yayoi froze.

"...Yayoi...please..."

Yayoi spun around. "Who's there?"

"...Yayoi...nano."

_Nano...? ...oh my gosh, Miki-san! That's her catchphrase! _"Miki-san?"

"Over here..."

Yayoi spun towards a far dark corner, revealing Miki lying on the ground, a long spire of ice jutting through her chest, another coming out of her stomach, and a third stabbed from the ceiling though her shoulder. Miki coughed, her eyes barely hanging open. Yayoi screamed and ran to her, collapsing by her side and grabbing her hand.

"Miki-san! Miki-san, what happened to you?! Please don't die!"

"Good...you're here." Miki smiled sadly. "...Yayoi. Listen to Miki."

Yayoi nodded, tears spilling from her eyes in the hundreds. "Anything."

"Miki...is going to die," Miki breathed. "Which means...you need to...live..."

"What...?"

"Yayoi...you'll make a great mage." Miki giggled. "...train Ai well."

"Wait, Miki-san! Please, tell me who did this!" Yayoi pleaded.

Miki took a deep breath. "It was..."

"Miki-san, hang in there! Please!"

"...Dark...Makoto."

Yayoi dropped Miki's hand, using her own hands to cover her open mouth. She shook her head in disbelief, her entire body trembling.

Miki took another shaking breath. "Please, Yayoi...make Miki proud...you're...a fabulous student."

"And you're the best teacher ever!" Yayoi said quickly, longing to let Miki hear how much Yayoi loved her before she died. Miki giggled.

"...tell Deko-chan...Miki's sorry." Miki smiled. "...goodbye, Yayoi...nano."

"No, Miki-san...!"

Miki took a last, shuddering breath, and then her eyes rolled back in her head and her body fell completely limp. Yayoi stared at her for a long time, refusing to believe any of what had just happened. She refused to move until she felt the building trembling and looked up to see the ceiling slowly collapsing. At this time, she at last jumped to her feet and fled from Miki's body, allowing her last memory of her precious teacher to be crushed beneath the weight of the stones. Yayoi wiped her eyes free of tears and plastered a serious expression on her face. No longer was it a desire, but a requirement, that she found Dark Makoto and made her stop what she was doing.

Signs of the Ice Witch's destruction were everywhere, from the horrific sight of Touma hanging from the roof, impaled by spikes of ice, to the corpse of Kotori frozen against the wall. Yayoi ran past, disgusted and terrified, but determined nonetheless. She finally managed to find Dark Makoto just as the frozen-hearted witch shot a spear of ice through the throat of one of Touma's guard peers. Yayoi had never met this blonde guard, but she had heard his name—Ijuuin Hokuto—and her heart broke for his death just as it did for all the others. Yayoi forced herself not to cry (or throw up) and pointed her flashlight-like hands at Dark Makoto.

"Turn around right now, Ice Witch!" Yayoi demanded in her best Chihaya impression. Makoto slowly turned to face her.

"You have no idea how dangerous this is, do you?" Makoto murmured. "I could kill you. The fire could kill you. The falling building could kill you. You could suffocate in all the smoke, or get trapped in the shadows and become blind...do you realize that?"

"I won't let you kill any more of my friends," Yayoi stated authoritatively. "Get out of my academy."

"You're starting to sound like that weak Grand Mage," Makoto hissed. "Thinking you can beat me. It's over, Takatsuki."

"Why?! What happened to killing Dark Chihaya-san during this battle?! Why are you against us?"

"It's not time yet—"

"Then when will it be?!" Yayoi fell to her knees, her emotions a jumble of terror, rage, and remorse.

Dark Makoto looked away. "I don't know."

"Please," Yayoi whispered, her eyes again filling with tears. "Please...help us..."

Dark Makoto looked at her, seeming regretful. They stared at each other until Makoto suddenly groaned in annoyance and turned away. "Alright, you want the truth? I'm _scared_. I'm scared of fighting Kisaragi! I'm scared of what they'll think if I lose! I'm scared of dying! And I know, I've always been strong, right? But Kisaragi could have _killed _me, and..." The black-haired witch slowly crumpled to her knees, her face looking frightened and small, just like she had no doubt looked during the vicious Turiavita attack seven years ago. Yayoi slowly crawled towards her.

"...Dark Makoto-san..."

"I don't...want to die..." Dark Makoto covered her face with her hands. "...I'm scared...of what will happen...if I challenge her and lose. If I die, I'd at least like to make it quick..."

"Then don't lose," Yayoi said. "Dark Makoto-san, I know you're strong enough for it. I know you can beat her. You've killed all these people, so it shouldn't be any different, right?"

"I keep putting it off," Dark Makoto muttered. "...I keep putting it off, because I think the longer I wait, the more likely they are to let their guard down..."

"But you can't wait any longer," Yayoi urged. "If you want to join our academy, you have to save it before it falls to the ground..." She trailed off when the building began to tremble again. When Yayoi looked up, she saw the ceiling collapsing around them. In seconds, she'd be squashed...

"Takatsuki...!"

Yayoi screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. She expected to be squished right then and there, but when she opened her eyes, she was encased in Dark Makoto's arms, a shield of ice surrounding them both. Yayoi looked over at Dark Makoto, who used her ice to move the stone away from them before melting the ice and lifting Yayoi to her feet. She looked up at the now-revealed sky. The academy was in ruins, so it no longer mattered if she fought Chihaya...right?

_No. I have to do this. I have to. For Onee-chan. For Takatsuki. ...for myself._

"Takatsuki."

"You saved my life," Yayoi declared.

Dark Makoto smiled slightly. "...you've taught me how to conquer fear. Through caring for me, you've shown me what it's like to ignore your fears and fight past your insecurities. So...in honor of what you've done...I'll give your advice a try. I've killed enough that I'm sure they'll believe that I'm on their side. Which means..." She paused. "...The time is _now_."

**(Random A/N: Witch!Makoto is so cute. She may be vicious and evil, but she still can't let Yayoi get hurt. Awwww~~~. I smell a sister relationship forming.**

**...sorry. I've gotten attached to these alternate-universe-character-things. What do you call those...?)**


	24. Chapter the Twenty-Fourth

Chapter the Twenty-Fourth

Dark Chihaya only smirked at her rival when she heard the crunching of grass behind her. Makoto had probably finished her massacre by now, which meant she had finally returned and the academy was no more. They had won. Of course they had won. Dark Chihaya _never _lost. Not to Dark Makoto, not to the Grand Mage, not to anyone.

"How many did you kill?" the Grand Witch asked without turning around. She had to keep an eye on Chihaya, after all.

"I'll just give you names," Dark Makoto muttered behind her. "The Sun Mage, Hoshii Miki. The previous Wind Mage, Otonashi Kotori. The guards, Amagase Touma, Mitarai Shouta, and Ijuuin Hokuto. A couple of scholars who had visited from a village to study the wizard lifestyle or something like that. In total, our death toll is about...eight or nine, not including the ones who were killed by the fire or the collapsing building."

"The light wizard?"

"I have her with me."

"As a prisoner?"

"No."

Dark Chihaya blinked and turned to face her. Dark Makoto smirked and placed a hand on her hip.

"Then why is she here?" Dark Chihaya questioned testily.

"For moral support."

"What—"

The Grand Witch was cut off when a hand of ice suddenly rocketed out of the ground and flung her at the pile of rubble that had once been NamukoAcademy. Dark Chihaya screeched in surprise. Dark Makoto sprang into the air and crashed to the ground far too close for comfort. She looked up at Dark Chihaya, her Rune Eyes glowing, and the Flame Witch was encased in a large glob of ice that slowly tightened around her, crushing her slowly. Dark Makoto seemed like she would simply finish it like that, until the ice suddenly burst from around Chihaya in an explosion of wild flames. Dark Chihaya flitted to the ground, her eyes narrowed in fury and glowing bright red.

"What are you doing?!" she spat.

"I'm done playing around here!" Dark Makoto growled. "I'm fed up with you and your tyranny. It's time to end this, Grand Witch."

Dark Chihaya sneered. "I couldn't agree more."

Rune Eyes aglow, the rivals clashed again and again, most of Dark Chihaya's attacks manipulated right back at her encased in a cover of ice. Yayoi ran to Chihaya and jumped into her arms. Chihaya held her close, watching from a distance. Karasu watched carefully, debating whether to step in or just watch the fun.

Powers flew back-and-forth, curses and furious words thrown out of both mouths. Yayoi and Chihaya huddled together, Yayoi calling out encouragement to Makoto whenever she was pinned down or in a tight spot. It seemed impossible to predict the results until Makoto leapt back to Yayoi and knelt by her side.

"I'm not holding back on her," she muttered. "Grand Mage. Don't you think it's fitting that she suffers in the same way all those she's killed have?"

Chihaya looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to burn her alive." Makoto locked eyes with Chihaya, her own eyes still glowing fiercely. "For your brother, Amami, and myself."

"How do you—"

Dark Makoto didn't stay behind to hear the rest. She launched herself at Dark Chihaya and pinned her to the floor. Dark Chihaya growled.

"You can't beat me."

"I don't have to," Makoto murmured. "You'll beat yourself."

"What are you..." Dark Chihaya's eyes suddenly widened and her Rune Eyes ceased glowing. Dark Makoto's shone ever brighter, and she stood up off of Chihaya and summoned a huge encasement of ice to surround her.

Dark Chihaya remained completely still, though her eyes were wide and frightened. Dark Makoto took a few deep breaths, releasing a puff of chilled, visible air whenever she exhaled. Slowly, as the three bystanders watched, Dark Chihaya fired a steady stream of flame out of her hands at the ice. But unlike ordinary ice, Dark Makoto's ice kept her rival's flames trapped inside the ice. Dark Chihaya didn't move, or absorb the flames. Instead, she remained trapped within them, screaming and crying in agony, the wild inferno whipping around within the ice and searing her flesh. Makoto was silent, simply watching her burn, one hand lifted towards the torturous contraption she'd created, waiting for Chihaya to burn to ash.

No one moved as Dark Chihaya screamed and flung her head about, any tears she shed quickly evaporating in the blaze. No one moved as Dark Chihaya slowly burnt away. She was within an inch of her life when Karasu at last yelled, "That's ENOUGH!"

"No...no, it's not!" Dark Makoto cried back, both hands out towards Dark Chihaya by now. "I won't be satisfied until there is nothing left of her!"

"Put her down right now!" Karasu barked.

"Forget it—"

"Let me say goodbye to her!"

It was that plead that tapped into Dark Makoto's soft side and made her remove the ice from around Dark Chihaya, and her hold on the other witch's mind. Dark Chihaya fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Karasu hurried to her side.

"...K-Karasu..."

"I'm here."

"...it...i-it hurts," Dark Chihaya breathed, fresh tears forming in her eyes every second. "Why didn't you tell me...flames hurt so much?"

"I never thought I needed to." Karasu reached out and took hold of her hand.

"You should have stopped her sooner..." Dark Chihaya sobbed. "Where...w-where are you?"

"I'm right here," Karasu soothed. "...I'm sorry, mistress. Looks like I've failed."

"You're not the only one." Chihaya smiled slightly. "...kill me."

Karasu stared at her. "Is that your last order?"

"It's my last...request," Dark Chihaya corrected. Karasu gazed at her regretfully. Slowly, he lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss, then nodded slowly.

"As you wish...Chihaya."

The knife that had killed Joseph materialized in his hand, and he slowly reached towards Chihaya. Chihaya drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting out the breath she'd taken in an anguish yell. Karasu took a deep breath of his own before plunging the knife deep into her neck, then tearing it out through the Grand Witch's throat. Dark Chihaya made a choked screaming sound and remained alive long enough to mouth a few words to Karasu; then she smiled slightly, only for her smile to fade when her life drained out completely. Dark Makoto looked away from her. Chihaya and Yayoi were silent, trying to decide whether to celebrate her death or just sit there, touched by the few seconds of weakness she'd dared to display.

Karasu slowly stood. "'I love you,' is what she mouthed, in case you were wondering," he announced quietly. "Perhaps I would have told her the same if I'd had the time."

"In the end, you're the one that killed her," Yayoi pointed out.

"She was suffering." Karasu looked up at the clouds. "It's better this way."

A pillar of ice suddenly shot out of the ground and stopped just under his chin, just like the pillar Dark Makoto had tried to kill Iori with during the memorial service a few days prior.

"And what will be even better is when you're dead with her," Dark Makoto panted, cold sweat dripping down her forehead and a hand extended towards Karasu that she never should have had to use for such an attack.

Karasu chuckled. "You're right," he sighed. "That will be better."

Dark Makoto started to advance the pillar upwards, but she paused when she saw the grief and pain in her co-worker's eyes. Karasu glanced at her, then returned to looking at the clouds. Dark Makoto glared at him for a minute before retracting the pillar.

"Just get him out of my sight," she muttered angrily. Chihaya stood up, stumbled a bit from the weakness of losing some power, then fastened cuffs of ice around Karasu's wrists and forced him forwards.

Yayoi crawled towards Dark Makoto. "I told you you could do it," she trilled fondly. "I'm proud of you."

Dark Makoto chuckled. "Thanks, kid."

"How'd you do it?"

"Trapped her in ice. Covered the flames of her soul in my own ice and manipulated that to make her use her powers. Kept her still and wouldn't let her absorb it. She burned on her own."

"You really are amazing, Dark Makoto-san!"

Dark Makoto glanced at her, exhaustion clear on her face, and offered her a light chuckle and a small smile before she suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Yayoi gasped.

"D-Dark Makoto-san...!"


	25. Chapter the Twenty-Fifth

Chapter the Twenty-Fifth

Chihaya sat on her beloved waterbed, which had recently been restored along with the rest of NamukoAcademy after a team of carpenters and stonemasons put the tower back together. With her were all of the surviving wizards and mages: Ami and Mami and their mage, Iori; Hibiki and Takane; Makoto, Ryo, and Yukiho; Yayoi and Ai; Eri; and Ritsuko. Dark Makoto had been taken into the academy as one of their own, but the stress of using two ultra-strong abilities at once had been enough to near immobilize her for even this long.

Chihaya looked out over her audience. They had been through many hardships, but at least one mage of each element still stood. She had been glad to hear that Makoto and Yukiho had been able to float everyone to safety, and the only casualty caused by the building had been that of one of the scholars who had visited to learn about the wizard lifestyle. The rest had either been killed by Dark Makoto or Karasu.

"There are some extremely important things to discuss," Chihaya began quietly. "Now that we have all the Mondenkind wizards, not to mention Dark Makoto, the strongest magician currently in existence, on our side, our academy can begin to blossom again. It has been rebuilt beautifully, don't you think?"

The wizards and mages assembled (and the few lesser witches who had come to witness the meeting) nodded and murmured to themselves. Yayoi stepped closer to Iori, who took her hand with a smile.

"But there are things that must be taken care of," Chihaya continued, her face grave. "I have been weakened greatly by Dark Chihaya's death, and thus, can no longer be your Grand Mage."

The mages and some wizards gasped. Iori seemed skeptical.

Chihaya nodded gravely. "I have decided to pass this title on to a great friend of mine. She has been a brilliant and capable mage for as long as I can remember, and she will run our academy beautifully with my support. As you may understand, this title would ordinarily fall to someone like Dark Makoto, who is very deserving of being the current reigning Grand Witch. But I do not feel comfortable leaving my academy in her hands just yet."

A murmur of agreement spread throughout the room.

"...Minase Iori-san, come to me."

Iori blinked, then her face brightened and she hurriedly walk-jogged to Chihaya. "Y-yes, Grand Mage!"

Chihaya smiled slightly. "I am not the Grand Mage anymore," she said slyly. "You are."

Iori gasped and beamed widely. "You mean it? Oh, I knew I was the best mage ever~! Nihihi~!"

Chihaya smiled wider. "Give me your hands."

"Yes!" Iori obeyed, placing her hands in Chihaya's.

Chihaya looked into her eyes. "Minase Iori-san, Flame Mage of Namuko Academy, the Passionate Flame. I hereby proclaim you as the new Grand Mage of Namuko Academy. May your passion for the academy and strength in combat blaze the path for a long and prosperous reign."

Iori squealed in delight. "Yes, Gran—Ice Mage Chihaya!" she corrected herself. "I won't let our academy down!"

"I know." Chihaya giggled. "...Takatsuki Yayoi-san, please come here."

Yayoi approached Chihaya.

Chihaya looked into her eyes. "As custom calls, the previous Grand Mage must finish up the day as Grand Mage once she has handed over her position. She continues to give charges and orders until the next day, when she must officially step down as Grand Mage. Which means that this task is up to me."

Yayoi nodded.

"You are aware that we do not have a Sun Mage anymore," Chihaya said. "...as Miki's student, you learned all that she had to offer. You are perfectly suited to be a mage. So...I ask you to place your hands in mine."

Yayoi seemed sad, but she nodded again and placed her hands in Chihaya's. "Yes, Ice Mage Chihaya-san."

Chihaya smiled brightly at her. "Dear Takatsuki-san, you have proven your blinding abilities as a brilliant prodigy at our school, so I ask that you continue to serve us as a mage. From now on, you are the Sun Mage of NamukoAcademy, the Shining Prodigy, Takatsuki Yayoi-san. May your radiant soul shine as bright as the sun during your long run as mage."

Yayoi grinned. "...Chihaya-san, thank you very much! High touch!" she cheered, removing her hands from Chihaya's to give her a high touch. Chihaya grinned back and fulfilled her request.

_NamukoAcademy will never fade._

*.*.*.*

"I thought I'd find you here."

Dark Makoto looked up from Dark Azusa's tombstone, slightly startled by Yayoi's voice. She turned around.

"Your hair's out now," she observed. "It's not in those pigtails anymore."

"I'm the new Sun Mage, so I thought I should look a bit more professional~," Yayoi giggled. "You noticed."

"It's not hard." Dark Makoto smiled. "Congratulations."

"I thought you couldn't move."

"I can walk. I just can't use my powers yet. Nothing too fancy, at least. I can still form weapons and melt ice."

"I thought melting ice was fancy."

"You think too much."

Yayoi sat beside her, settling into a period of silence. Dark Makoto reached for her hand. Yayoi let her take it. She smiled.

"It's so peaceful without Dark Chihaya-san around," she sighed. "We can finally be around each other without fear."

"Yeah," Dark Makoto agreed. "...it's nice."

"Yeah, it is..."

There was another long period of silence.

"So the academy's fixed."

"Uh-huh. A bunch of villagers teamed up with Ritsuko-san to fix it. They've got a new dungeon too. Same place, just a little fancier."

"I still find it interesting that your school has a dungeon."

"Yeah, me too..." Yayoi giggled. "Karasu-san is the only person down there right now. We're running low on guards, but all the ones we have are stationed there."

"I also find it interesting how completely you trust me," Makoto commented. "It's a risky move, to tell me all your secrets."

"I don't have any reason not to trust you." Yayoi looked across at her and smiled brightly. Makoto smiled back—a _real _smile, the first one Yayoi had ever seen from her.

"I like you, kid," Dark Makoto admitted. "You're gonna be a great mage."

"Thank you. I'm sure you'll make a great Grand Witch."

"Obviously."

Yayoi giggled. Makoto joined in with a small chuckle.

They returned to silence. Yayoi scooted closer and planted a light kiss on Dark Makoto's cheek, leaning against her shoulder. Dark Makoto smiled. Yayoi let out a happy sigh.

"...I love you, Onee-chan," she breathed.

Dark Makoto looked down at her. "...I love you too, Yayoi."

"Welcome...to NamukoAcademy."


	26. Chapter the Epilogue

Epilogue

Hidaka Ai skipped into Yayoi's room, her smile as bright as her crazy personality. "Oi, Yayoi-san! What are we learning today, huh?"

Yayoi yelped and looked up from her practicing. "Oh, Ai-chan! I'm sorry, I forgot I was training you now..."

"Nah, it's alright. I'm just excited to be here." Ai beamed. "So what's on the schedule for today?"

"Hm...well, for the past couple of months we've been working on offense and practical things, so let's work on defense today," Yayoi suggested. "When I was a wizard in training, I used to love practicing shields. They made me feel so protected. But now there's peace, so they aren't as important. I still think it's important, though, so we'll work on it."

Ai nodded enthusiastically. "Great, I can't wait to try it!" she squealed. "So what do I do?"

"You see, you just focus on your light energy and form a large sphere of light, then...focus on the sphere and spread out light from all directions, and...you'll make a shield." Yayoi demonstrated. She, like her late teacher Miki, was horrible at explaining things.

It seemed to work well enough for Ai, since the young light wizard was able to perfectly replicate Yayoi's shield. She beamed. "I did it~"

"Congratulations, you're a real prodigy!" Yayoi praised. "You, too, have a bright and sunny personality, so you're perfect for the light element. It's fun, isn't it?"

"Super fun!"

*.*.*.*

Iori stood next to Chihaya, who was lounging on her waterbed. Chihaya's furniture had been transferred to what was once Iori's room so Iori could move into the huge conference room where the Grand Mage stayed. Chihaya's ice sculptures were still in the room, though. They were too big to be moved.

"It's hard work," Iori sighed. "I never understood how hard your job was."

"Governing a school full of wizards through an eight-year-long war is hard work," Chihaya agreed. "You got the easy end of it."

"Yeah," Iori said. "...Chihaya, I wanted to thank you. You've really helped coach me through this. ...n-not that I really need it! I mean, I'm Minase Iori after all, but..."

Chihaya chuckled. "You're welcome, Minase-san."

"...you really think it's OK?"

"Hm?"

"That I'm Grand Mage."

"I chose you for a reason, Minase-san. You're worthy of it."

Iori smiled. "...thank you," she repeated.

"No, thank you." Chihaya smiled back. "You've really taken care of the academy. Of _my _academy."

"Of _our _academy," Iori corrected. "Please, it's my job to protect this place. And all the people in it. ...I really...love you all."

"And we all love you too." Chihaya froze the water in her bed. A gentle flame from Iori melted it back into water. "We're back to this, then..."

"I don't mind it," Iori admitted. "These were simpler times. Peaceful times."

"Yeah."

Iori sighed and started for the door. "I think I'll work more with those flame twins and Dark Iori. She's a good Flame Witch, but she can still use some tuning."

"Alright. Send my regards to the Grand Witch if she's in her room."

"I will."

Their conversation ended, Iori dipped her head in respect to Chihaya, who returned the gesture. Then the Grand Mage exited the room, closing the door behind her. Chihaya gazed at the ceiling.

"...peace...peace and quiet...it's been far too long..."

*.*.*.*

The crackling of ice along the walls made Karasu look up from his planning. If he could just figure out a way to bypass the magic-restricting abilities of his Chihaya-brand ice handcuffs, he could sink through the floor and escape. Of course, that was too much to ask-the second he tried to use magic, the cuffs sent a signal to Chihaya, who used her connection to the cuffs to send a freezing shock throughout Karasu's body that restricted movement (and thought). When she felt the danger had passed, Chihaya released her hold.

"You look pathetic."

Karasu's eyes looked past the bars of his cell and focused on the new Grand Witch a few feet away. Her arms were crossed and her hood drawn up. Dangling from her fingers were what looked like keys.

"Thanks for the visit," Karasu responded. "Did you come here to kill me and get it over with?"

Dark Makoto didn't answer. Instead, she stepped forwards and unlocked the door to Karasu's cell, sliding inside as silently as snow falling from the sky. Karasu slowly rose to his feet, slightly confused.

"...Makoto?"

"I have my own reasons for being down here," Dark Makoto muttered, stepping closer.

"Why have you come here?"

Makoto's icy blue eyes locked on his. She took another step closer and slowly slid her arms around his body to the ice handcuffs locked around his wrists. Karasu looked down at her, curious.

"I've come to set you free." Makoto smirked slightly, her eyes narrowing just a bit, displaying some of her past bitterness. If Karasu looked closely, he thought he caught a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Is that so..." Karasu mused. The ice around his wrists melted off after just a light touch from Makoto. "I guess I serve you from now on."

"That's right." Makoto stepped back. "I'm your mistress now."

"And to think, we've let them live peaceful lives for this long."

"And that's what we'll continue to do." Makoto stepped back, beckoning Karasu forwards. She crept towards the stairs, the silent Shadow Warlock following her. "I just want you back at home. It's hard to run the place with just me. ...but we're not hurting NamukoAcademy anymore. Understand?"

Karasu nodded. "Of course."

Makoto nodded back. "Hurry. Follow me."

The pair slid upstairs completely unnoticed. If anyone looked over, Makoto melted into a puddle and Karasu morphed into a patch of shadow. Whoever was looking usually looked away. Once they did, the two dark magicians morphed back and continued their journey. The second they reached a window, Makoto spread her icy wings and grabbed hold of Karasu before taking off towards the Turiavita tower base. Karasu let out a contented sigh.

"It feels good to be free."

"Feels good to carry someone again."

"You missed me, didn't you~?"

"I didn't miss _you_, I missed the extra hand around base that came with having you around."

"You're a pretty good liar, but I can still tell when you're telling the truth. I always knew it'd come to this in the end. Just you and me. No one else."

"Don't say stupid things," Makoto muttered. "We're almost there."

"Your flying speed has increased." Karasu smiled slightly.

"I've just been improving since that day," Makoto said proudly. "Remember, no hurting NamukoAcademy. I just want a bit of help keeping everything under control."

"Whatever you say, mistress," Karasu agreed. But the darkness within his very soul-and his ingrained loyalty to Chihaya's whims-urged him to do something to get Makoto back on his side. One day, they'd take over the academy for good. No civil battles to worry about, no rebellions within the base, and no traitor-ism. Just a man and his mistress taking over the world, one wizard academy at a time.

He would make Chihaya proud. It had been her last words, after all. Not 'I love you'...no, she had said that with her eyes. Her mouth had breathed a different story.

_Destroy Namuko Academy._

"Within all ice is water," the Phantom Sadist whispered to himself. _And water is so terribly easy to manipulate._

FIN...?

**(Final A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUN. How's that for a cliffhanger ending, you guys. You all probably hate me right now.**

**OH MY GOSH I'M SO SAD IT'S OVER! I'm actually so upset that it's over that I've decided to write...you guessed it...A SEQUEL~! It'll probably be a lot shorter than the original, but Karasu may be even more evil than Dark Chihaya was, so you can expect lots of plotting and bloodshed, not to mention drama, adorable bonding time, lots of moments where you can totally tell this book had a mind of its own, and random moments of random funny because I'm writing it. Anyhow.  
I'll try to at least spit out a first chapter of the sequel soon so I don't leave you in the dark too long. I'm too in love with this book to leave it even though it's over. :I**

**Please lemme know what you think! I'd love to hear who was your favorite, and who you think I wrote the best, because I'm pretty sure the Xenoglossia characters got REALLY OOC sometimes, but...you know, Makoto is REALLY hard to keep in character, because even though she's a total b*tch, she's a sweetie at the same time, at least to Azusa, and she can actually be really polite, and she's just hard to get perfectly. Gyaaaaah. I love her though.**

**But yeah! Lemme know what you think ifyoucanIdon'twanttoseemdemanding :3 See you in the sequel. Oh yeah, and I'll be publishing a little ficlet of profiles on the characters, including a short quip about how they came to the academy in the first place. I just love me for inventing this alternate universe, because everyone is so GREAT. *arrogant moment* I'm brilliant.**

**Lemme know if you disagree, if there's something I could improve on, because I'd like to keep that in mind for the sequel. Like if you think certain characters should have a different personality, or you think there wasn't enough description, or I could do better with emotions and battle scenes, or you'd like to see more of a certain character...**

**Oh my gosh, Normal Makoto wasn't even IN the last three chapters. WHAT HAVE I BECOME.**

**Thiswasreallylong  
I'm just gonna sign off now. SMELL YA LATER~! :3)**


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